


In the Eyes of a Toddler

by CanadaCowboy



Series: Avatar: the Journey of Life [2]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Bending (Avatar), Alternate Universe - No Avatar (Avatar TV), Babysitting, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 25,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24654874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CanadaCowboy/pseuds/CanadaCowboy
Summary: Modern, AU. Dedicated to Kelev, a friend and fellow Avatar writer from FFN. I wrote this fic back in 2015 for Kelev's 5th wedding anniversary.  Aang and Gyatso have been asked to babysit a child. When an active, energetic, rambunctious three-year-old named Hana shows up on their doorstep, Aang realizes he may be in the adventure of a lifetime. And with Hana being tri-racial, what new insights will Aang and his friends gain from this experience?
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar)
Series: Avatar: the Journey of Life [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762678
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.

The front door opened with a loud groan, revealing the face of a young air bending master. “Hey guys, I’m glad you made it,” Aang declared, pulling the door wider for his guests. Standing before him was a young family, a couple with their three-year-old child who was well-known to Aang and his friends. “And I haven’t seen you in a while, Hana,” Aang greeted the little girl, “Looks like you’ll be spending a lot of time with Gyatso and me for the next week.”

“It’s just going to be the next week, when I’m getting my air bending exam done,” Hana’s mother explained. After a long wait, Hana’s mother finally decided to take the final step and challenge the air bending exam. Most air benders would take and pass the exam between the age of eighteen to twenty-one, and in the process get their arrow tattoos. But Hana’s mother did not do so until now, leading many to wonder if she even completed all thirty-six forms of air bending. “Mommy will come home looking a lot different, you know that, Hana?”

“That’s right. Mommy’s going to look exactly like Aang, with a huge blue arrow going down her forehead,” Hana’s father added. Physically, Hana’s parents were totally opposites of each other. Hana’s father was over a head taller than Hana’s mother, sporting a scruffy beard and dressed fairly casually. People figured it was because of their ethnicity, given each parent had drastically different backgrounds. “She’ll also be able to do something Daddy can never do, which is to bend an element. Maybe you’ll bend an element too, when you get older.”

“I thought you would want Hana to be a non-bender like you, where she can’t blast air in your face every five seconds,” Gyatso, Aang’s guardian and an older air bending master, jokingly pointed out. Hana’s father was a non-bender born to a family of non-benders, with his father a non-bender from the United Earth States and his mother a non-bender from the Water Tribes. “You’re about to handle an element that’s nowhere to be found in your family.”

“Well, since we both have Water Tribe blood, I think we’re adaptable enough to changes to Hana if she does air bend,” Hana’s mother responded, evoking laughter from everyone. Unlike her husband, Hana’s mother was born to a non-bending Water Tribe father and a pure-blooded Air Nomad mother. As all pure-blooded Air Nomads were benders, it made Hana’s maternal grandmother her only grandparent who could bend an element. “I personally want Hana to be an air bender, because once I get my tattoos, there’s so much I can teach her,” Hana’s mother stated.

Gyatso could only grin from ear-to-ear at that remark. “My dear, I am so proud of you,” he exclaimed, approaching Hana’s mother and placing a hand on her shoulder, “I’ve see you work so hard at your air bending skills, and to see you on the verge of getting tattooed, I can’t be happier. You fought through a lot of adversity, including starting late and having trouble picking it up, but seeing you one step away is truly remarkable.”

Hana’s mother nodded with a shy smile, while Hana’s father wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulder. “It’s not all negative, you know,” he replied, his grin equalling the one Gyatso had, “Yes, she started late, and didn’t learn the final skill until she was twenty-one. But that was also the year that she made me the luckiest man alive. And in the past five years, we had to focus on settling down, starting a family, and raising Hana. She just didn’t spend as much time on using her skills, which led some to believe she never mastered all thirty-six of them. But now, she can prove she does deserve those tattoos, and I’m so happy for her.”

Hana’s mother leaned in her husband’s embrace, who in turn kissed the side of her head. “And isn’t it amazing that all this is happening within the same week as Mid-Autumn Festival and our fifth year wedding anniversary?” Hana’s mother added, “I think when I come back with my tattoos, we should just do a huge celebration for all three things!”

Their train of thought was snapped by Aang, who tilted his head back and forth between the door and the living room. “Can you excuse me for a second? Hana’s getting restless, and I better keep an eye on her first,” he explained. The youngster was now in the living room, where she was having a stare-down with Appa, a large Komondor, and Momo, a flying lemur. “I know Appa and Momo are friendly and all, but I think they should get used to her before she gets too close to them,” Aang added, hustling off to chase down Hana.

The three adults chuckled at Hana’s energy and Aang’s attempt to convince her to come back. Now Hana turned her eyes on Aang, having a stare-down with the bald teen instead. “Just to cut it short, we already have our parties plans all arranged,” Hana’s father described, pulling out several cards, “You and Aang are invited, and so are the rest of your friends. We originally wanted to invite Sneers and his family, along with his girlfriend Kori Morishita and her family. But I heard Kori went on exchange as part of her college program, and she invited Sneers with her. So it’s just going to be Kori’s parents and Sneers’ uncle, but not them.”

“That’s also why Hana has to stay with you for a week, Gyatso,” Hana’s mother added. Usually, Hana would be babysat by Sneers, but with Sneers away, Hana’s mother decided to ask Gyatso, someone she knew for many years. “Are you sure you’ll be okay? I know with what happened a couple of years back, you can’t really do much physical exercise.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine handling Hana,” Gyatso responded with a wave of his hand. Two years ago, Gyatso was hit by a car, resulting in a coma of over a month long. Even after he emerged with no largescale health issues, the recovery period was still over six months long. It was the worst time of Aang’s life since the death of his parents, and Aang only got through it with the help of his friends. “I’ve handled plenty of energetic air bending children before, one of whom being Aang. What makes you think I can’t handle Hana?”

Hana’s parents looked at each other again and nodded. Gyatso was someone they trusted, and they were fully prepared to let him handle it for the rest of the week. “In that case, I’ll just drop this off for you. It’s all of Hana’s extra clothing,” Hana’s father declared, placing a suitcase down next to Gyatso, “I also have the schedule for Hana’s activities, meal times, nap times, etc. If there are any problems, just call us and we’ll help you out. Our cab is waiting outside, so we don’t want to take too long. Otherwise, we’ll miss our flight!”

Just then, Aang returned holding Hana in his arms. The toddler’s attention now returned to her parents, albeit slightly, as she occasionally sneaked peeks over Aang’s body at Appa and Momo. “Say goodbye to your parents, Hana,” Aang requested, turning his body to let Hana face her parents, “When Mommy comes back, you’ll see her new tattoo on her head, just like mine.”

“Why do you have that on your head, and why will Mommy have one?” Hana asked, poking the part where the arrow ended on Aang’s forehead, “And can I have one too?”

That prompted another round of laughter from the group. “Well, if we find out you’re an air bender, and you train hard enough, you’ll get one too,” Aang answered, “Now can you say goodbye to your parents? And wish your Mommy good luck in her exam?”

“Okay,” Hana replied. Leaning forward, she attempted to hug both her parents, who in turn gave her a kiss on each cheek. “Bye Daddy. Bye Mommy.”

As Gyatso closed the front door, Aang picked up the suitcase Hana’s father left behind. “Why don’t you take Hana and I’ll set up her room?” he suggested, handing the toddler off to his guardian when Gyatso turned around, “It shouldn’t take me more than half an hour.”

Gyatso nodded, receiving Hana from Aang while the younger air bender stepped up the stairs. On his way, a buzzing from his pants pocket caught his attention. Pulling his cellphone out, Aang took one glance at the caller ID and could not help but grin. Clicking the green button, Aang raised the phone to his ear. “Hi Sweetie, how are you?” he greeted the caller.

* * *

“Hi Hana, I haven’t seen you in a little while,” Katara greeted the toddler, who trotted into the living room with Aang. Turning to the air bender, Katara asked, “So you and Gyatso will take care of Hana for the next week while her mother gets her air bending tattoos?”

Aang nodded. “I’m going to play a game with Hana,” he explained, placing Hana down on one side of the living room. The youngster sat on the ground facing Aang, who sat on the ground on the opposite side of the living room. “This game is similar to something Air Nomad kids play, and I used to be a pro at it. It’s called airball.”

Katara shifted slightly on the sofa she sat on, craning her neck to get a better look. Aang held a strange-looking wooden ball before him, one that had cuts and slots throughout. “Try to catch the ball before it hits the other wall,” Aang called to Hana before pushing it towards her. Turning to Katara, Aang explained, “This is a miniature version that gets played indoors. If we go outside, then we’ll have a much larger field and it’s a lot more fast-paced.”

The water bender nodded, now focusing her attention on Hana. The girl now shifted the ball around and pushed it towards Aang, using both her stubby arms and sending it in the air bender’s direction. To no one’s surprise, Hana’s lack of strength made the ball easy to catch, and Aang soon made quick work of the shot. “Now let’s do something a little harder,” Aang suggested. This time, he rolled the ball back, but adding a blast of air to it. The air blast shot through the holes in the ball, spinning it faster towards Hana. “Try to catch it, Hana!”

Katara edged over her sofa a bit more, worried that the more forceful roll would overwhelm Hana. Luckily, Hana managed to catch it, her little fingers holding on while flashing another huge grin at Aang. As she pushed it back, Katara asked Aang, “What’s the largescale version of this game like? Where can you see people play it?”

“There’s a large field in the Southern Air Temple. On the field are these poles that have different heights, some as short as fifteen feet and some as tall as twenty feet,” Aang described, his hands moving around the ground before him in emphasis, “The air benders will stand on the poles and shoot the ball at the other side. We can use any air bending skill we want to make the ball go faster, and we can also bounce the ball off the poles to make it go in different directions. If we get the ball into the other goal, then we score a point for our team.”

“And isn’t the Southern Air Temple where you got your air bending tattoos?” an adult voice asked from the dining room. Aang and Katara both turned to see Hakoda, Katara’s father, glance over from the dining room table where he was having tea with Gyatso. Ever since Hakoda found out that Aang and Katara were a couple, he not only gave his blessing to allow them to date, but also took extra steps to learn about Air Nomad culture. “And if I remember correctly, you were the youngest Air Nomad ever to get your tattoos, right Aang?”

Aang rubbed his bald head and smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I got my tattoos just after I turned twelve, so about three and a half years ago,” the fifteen-year-old air bending master replied. Even though Aang set a record that still stood, he was surprisingly modest about it, opting to downplay it rather than used it to show off. Part of this was because of his Air Nomad culture to be modest and polite, but also because Aang was never that type of person. “It’s not a big deal anyway, because Hana’s mother isn’t getting them until now.”

“Is Hana’s mother doing her air bending exam at the Western Air Temple or the Eastern Air Temple?” Hakoda queried, taking another sip of his tea, “I know those are where the girls go do their tests, whereas the boys go to the Northern and Southern ones.”

“Hana’s mother is at the Western Air Temple, and it is one of the most unique temples you’ll ever see,” Gyatso explained. The older air bender sat directly across from Hakoda, and there was an excitable twinkle in his eye when he spoke of the Western Air Temple. “It is built right inside a cliff of a large canyon. You can’t see it from the top of the canyon, but once you go into the canyon, then you can see it. There’s so much to see in there, it’s really amazing.”

Hakoda nodded, seemingly impressed by the description itself. Even though he actively tried to make an effort to learn more about Air Nomad culture, particularly due to his daughter now dating an air bender, Hakoda realized there was so little that he actually knew. Turning back to Hana, he could not help but grin as Hana caught a ball rolled at her at an angle, courtesy of another one of Aang’s air blasts. “Hana will get to learn about all that, thanks to her mom being an air bending master soon,” he pointed out, “But then again, Hana can also learn about Water Tribe culture too, since both her parents are half Water Tribe, right?”

“Actually, Hana can learn from three different cultures,” Aang responded, rolling the ball back but blasting air to make it go in the angle opposite to the one he did prior, “Don’t forget that Hana is one-quarter earth, because her paternal grandfather is from the United Earth States. That means Hana gets to learn earth culture along with air and water.”

“With the exception of Fire Nation culture, Hana has as complete a cultural experience as she can possibly get,” Gyatso stated, taking a sip of his own tea, “Air Nomads are expected to embrace maximum freedom to achieve peace and spirituality. I think one can also extend that to embracing maximum diversity in ideas and culture, which allows us to appreciate our fellow humans. That in turn will let us cherish life more and make us want to protect life more.”

That got both Aang and Katara to pause, realizing how much this mimicked their current situation. Given Aang was an Air Nomad while Katara hailed from the Water Tribes, they were in a situation where two very different cultures would meet. While there were some differences between their cultures, Aang and Katara knew that they were prepared to work with them in order to be with each other. Would that create a situation where both cultures were in play at the same time, leading to a harmonization of the two?

At the same time, they thought of Hana’s situation, realizing how fortunate the toddler really was. Not only was she exposed to three different cultures, Hana could ultimately see how each shaped her life, which would go a long way to her personal growth. Given she already had this established in her life, could Hana find a new way to combine the three cultures, allowing her to create something entirely different but still staying true to her background? With her being only three years old, Hana certainly had time on her side to figure it out.

Just then, a juvenile voice cut through their concentration. “Does that mean I win now?” Hana asked. Aang turned his head back to Hana, who now plodded up to him and stared at him with intense but cute eyes. “The ball just hit the wall, so do I win the game?”

Aang and Katara glanced over to the wall behind them. Indeed, the ball was stopped motionless against the wall. Apparently, while Aang and Katara both focused on thinking about the different cultures Hana faced, neither of them realized the ball rolled past them, allowing Hana to score a point. “I want a cacker, Aang,” Hana requested, “Can I get a cacker, please?”

Aang and Katara both chuckled at that remark. For some reason, Hana could never say the word cracker properly, always butchering the first syllable. “Of course we can get you a cracker, Hana,” Aang responded, reaching out and lifting Hana off the ground, “Let’s go to the kitchen and see if we can find where we stored your snacks, okay?”

As Aang and Hana rifled through the kitchen, Katara could only grin. It was obvious that Aang really enjoyed hanging out with Hana, and Hana’s background really rubbed off on him. There was so much about Hana that made them rethink their lives. How wild would it be that a three-year-old could impart enough wisdom on them to change the way they viewed the world?

* * *

“Hey, Gran Gran and Pakku,” Katara greeted the guests, opening her door wider to allow them in. It was the day after Hana arrived at Aang’s home, and Katara hoped to return to her usual after-school routine. “Sokka and Dad aren’t home right now. Sokka has to go to the library while Dad’s meeting at work will run late. Come on in and have a seat!”

“Thank you, Katara,” Kanna, Katara’s paternal grandmother, replied. It was not long ago that Kanna married Pakku after years as a widow. The old man that Katara learned much of her water bending from was now her step-grandfather, and Katara could not be happier for Kanna and the rest of their family. “How is Sokka enjoying his first year at university?”

“He’s really enjoying it. Him and Suki are in the same year, but different majors,” Katara pointed out. Sokka started his first year at Republic University earlier this month after graduating high school the past June. However, both Sokka and Suki decided that they would still live at home rather than on campus, as a way to decrease the expenses for the family. Luckily, Hakoda and Oyaji were more than happy to accommodate their son and granddaughter, respectively. “He should be back later tonight, and Suki might drop by for a visit as well.”

“And it looks like Suki won’t be the only visitor, Katara. It seems like your boyfriend is here, along with a very young individual,” Pakku observed. Katara and Kanna trotted to the living room, where Pakku focused on two individuals seated on the couch. Aang was there with Hana, who had her eyes on her colouring book. “Are you babysitting someone?” Pakku asked.

“Actually, it’s Gyatso and me who are babysitting Hana,” Aang answered, his eyes tilting between the water bending master and the child to his left, “What picture are you colouring next? Do you know what this picture is supposed to mean?”

Every eye followed Aang’s finger to the picture, where a water bending warrior from the past was shown. This included the water pouch on the waist, the bladed clubs, and even war paint on the face. “That’s what a water bender looks like from the past,” Katara explained, taking a seat to Hana’s left, “I’m a water bender, and so is Pakku.”

Hana gave Pakku an intense look before picking up a blue pencil crayon. As she coloured in the water bender in the picture, Pakku elaborated, “Water benders don’t just use water to fight. In the past, a lot of girls who can water bend will become healers. Nowadays, both boys and girls can learn both battle and healing techniques, kind of like Katara.”

“Yeah, and it took you how long before you realize that you can do that?” Kanna chimed in, albeit with a joking tone. Pakku had a reputation for being a stickler for tradition, and insisted that Katara learned healing only when he first met her. It took several arguments, along with a stern lecture from Kanna, before he relented and became more inclusive. “Now that you see how both boys and girls can do all aspects of water bending, you’ve kept a lot more open mind.”

Pakku took a deep breath before exhaling. “Water is the element of change, and I admit I didn’t do my part to embrace that,” he stated with a tight face, “I still believe that tradition has a huge role to play in our lives, but not having anyone to share these traditions with can mean the traditions will go extinct. It’s no different than the Glacier Ice Festival, where a celebration on Winter Solstice to honour spiritual connection is now more closely related with cherishing our family members. A spiritual connection means nothing if you can’t cherish your real world connections, especially your loved ones,” Pakku pointed out.

Katara nodded. While she did not consider herself spiritual, she was at least aware of the festival’s origins. Today, she only celebrated it like modern water benders, having a huge family gathering and just being thankful for family cohesiveness. “Our last Winter Solstice gathering had you proposing to Gran Gran,” Katara told Pakku, “I still get a kick out of Sokka calling you Gramp Gramp or Grampakku. I’m just glad we’re really one big family now.”

Kanna reached over and squeezed Pakku’s hand in her left hand, all the while reaching out to Katara’s shoulder with her right hand. “We all live under the same moon, the source of all water bending. Even though I can’t water bend, I know how significant the moon is for us. When we have our Winter Solstice gathering, the moon is always watching over us,” she commented.

Just then, Aang chimed in. “That’s actually very similar in Air Nomad culture. We have the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is also dedicated to the moon. It’s like Winter Solstice, except it’s in autumn instead,” he explained, “Like you, we celebrate being together with family, but also other things like a good harvest or general success for everyone. It’s a really fun time!”

The three Water Tribe members seemed very curious. They were aware of certain Air Nomad traditions and their similarities with their traditions, but they did not expect how similar the ways Air Nomads and Water Tribes viewed the moon. “So it looks like if we invite each other to each other’s celebrations, we can do a lot of stuff together,” Katara pointed out.

Aang nodded. “We can, but it doesn’t all have to do with bending,” Aang clarified. They knew that the moon was the original water bender, pushing and pulling the waves and creating tides. It was through this that humans were able to modify their water bending moves to get maximum effectiveness. “It’s a fun event, and I really hope you can enjoy it with me.”

“Hey, speaking of which, why don’t we try to see what Hana thinks of each celebration?” Katara suggested. Due to Hana having both Air Nomad and Water Tribe blood, the group felt that Hana must have been through both the Mid-Autumn Festival and the Winter Solstice. “Hey Hana, do you and your family do any celebrating in autumn or winter?” Katara asked, placing a hand on Hana’s left shoulder.

Hana looked up with an inquisitive look on her face. “What does ‘celebrate’ mean? Is that where Mommy and Daddy go see lots of people with me?” she queried.

“Yeah, and there’s food and music, and sometimes they’ll include games as well,” Aang described, “The Air Nomad party is in mid-autumn, while the Water Tribe party is in the winter. Do you and your Mommy and Daddy have parties on each of those days?”

Hana stared at the ceiling thoughtfully. The group wondered if she knew the difference between the two celebrations, and if she did, then if she understood the background behind each celebration. After a long few seconds, Hana turned back and answered with a huge smile. “I really like parties. Mommy and Daddy make a lot of food and we’re always having fun.” She took a deep breath, as if trying to search for the right words in her limited vocabulary. “We have two big parties, but I want to have a party every day with everybody.”

That got everybody laughing. Now they knew that Hana did celebrate both Mid-Autumn Festival and Winter Solstice, but given her energetic nature, she probably wanted to celebrate them every single day. “Well, don’t you worry, Hana,” Kanna stated, brushing Hana’s brown hair, “Once Sokka comes home, you’ll have a wild time for sure.”

“Oh boy, do I even want that to happen?” Katara retorted jokingly, rolling her eyes in dramatic fashion. Sokka was never good with children, which made Katara wonder what would happen if Hana’s parents asked Sokka to babysit. Still, Katara already figured that having a tri-racial child such as Hana around was special. With all the different combinations of cultural events in her life, and the fact that she had three different cultures right before her, could Hana start developing new ideas of her own? If so, then Katara and Aang figured the same could happen to them. With water being the element of change and air being the element of freedom, they had what it took to make those changes from within themselves.

* * *

Right to Katara’s expectation, Sokka and Suki entered the house shortly after Pakku and Kanna left. “And who’s the kid sitting on the couch?” Sokka exclaimed, pointing at Hana and Aang, “Katara, did Aang get you pregnant and hide your baby for all these years?”

Katara could only palm her face at this remark. “Sokka, this is Hana. Do you remember her? You met her at Kori’s pool party two years ago, where, believe it or not, you originally thought she was Kori’s baby as a result of Kori getting knocked up by Sneers!” Katara retorted. She marched over to Sokka and dragged him over by the shoulder. “I know you haven’t seen Hana for a while now, but don’t tell me you don’t recognize her at all!”

“Hana? That little baby from the pool?” Sokka responded. He took a closer look at the toddler, who entered into a stare-down with the university freshman. “Oh, Hana! I remember her now. She’s that baby who was running around the pool, and Aang had to grab her, right?”

By now, Suki also trotted up beside Sokka, s huge smile on her face as she recalled the youngster. “She’s really grown since we last saw her, but then again, I don’t know her family as well as Sneers or Aang does,” she pointed out. She waved her hand at Hana, who reacted a bit more positively to her. “Hi Hana, remember me? I’m Suki, Sokka’s girlfriend. Sokka and I are in university together. A university is basically a school for big kids.”

“What is a school?” Hana asked, pausing her colouring and tilting her head in curiosity at Suki, “Do only big kids go to school, or can any kid go to school?”

Katara, Sokka, Suki, and Aang all glanced at each other awkwardly. “Oh yeah, I guess you’re still too young to go to school,” Sokka replied, rubbing the back of his head, “Well, then I say you’re in luck, because you got a great teacher in front of you. Did you realize that before we met you, I was the leader of a science team? We won a city science competition, you know!”

“Right, and I’m guessing you forgot the lesson that good teachers teach and not brag?” Suki admonished, tapping Sokka on the shoulder. Turning back to Hana, she told the toddler in a softer voice, “Since you’re not in school yet, do you Mommy and Daddy teach you at home?”

Hana nodded. “Mommy teaches me stuff about air bending people,” she described, seemingly not remembering the actual term, “She also talks about water people, and Daddy sometimes talks about earth people. They say there are fire people too.”

“It’s Air Nomad, Water Tribes, United Earth States, and Fire Nation, Hana,” Aang gently corrected the toddler. Turning back to his friends, he stated, “I’m glad her family already started talking about the four elements with her. I was telling everyone how special Hana is by being tri-racial. She gets direct contact with three of the four elements, so it has to be great for her.”

“Oh yeah? And what did you guys tell Hana about the Water Tribes?” Sokka asked, leaning his face closer to Hana’s colouring book, “You got a Water Tribe warrior on this page. Did you tell her about how great Water Tribe people are with boats and sailing? Or maybe you should tell them about our ingenuity and being able to invent things. With Hana being half-water, I think she’s got some creative bone in her body, isn’t that right?”

“Actually, the good sailor and shipbuilder in Hana’s family is her father, who is half-water and half-earth,” Aang pointed out. He opened a box of snacks and handed Hana a cookie, to which the youngster promptly took from Aang’s hand and thanked the air bender. “He has a job in construction, but likes to build and repair boats in his spare time. I heard he’s also a huge meat fan, which should probably get your attention,” he teased.

“Alright, now we’re talking!” Sokka exclaimed, pumping his fists in the air and hooting like an animal. “I’ve got to meet him, you guys! Just having an all-meat dinner and talking about what type of meat is best, it doesn’t get any better than that!”

Aang and Katara could only shake their heads, while Suki chuckled in embarrassment. “I wonder how that even works. Hana’s mother is an air bender, so she should be a vegetarian. If her father likes meat so much, then won’t that create a conflict at home?” Suki queried.

“Actually, Hana’s parents created a really interesting way to deal with the problem. Her father will still eat meat, but her mother will not prepare any meat dishes for herself or Hana. It means any meat dishes served are for her father only, and any meat Hana eats will be served to her by her father,” Aang described, opening Hana’s water container and letting her have a sip, “They also said they’ll let Hana decide if she wants to eat meat when she grows up, although if Hana turns out to be an air bender, she might give up meat voluntarily.”

That got Sokka to pause. “Aw, you don’t want to do that,” he groaned, leaning onto the arm of the couch, “Can you make some exception to that rule, Aang? I was hoping Hana can have some meat specialties when she grows up. Don’t tell me that’s against the rules!”

“Actually, we were talking about how Hana might be able to create her own rules,” Katara chimed in, gently nudging Sokka to give her some personal space, “She can get the best of Water Tribe, United Earth States, and Air Nomad and mix them into something new. We don’t have to agree with her entirely on what she wants to do, but at least she has a chance to do something very few people can do. And hearing their meat arrangement, I think Hana’s parents are open enough to let her choose, which can only be good.”

“And it’s not like she doesn’t have some similarities to work with already,” Aang added, taking the now-closed water container back from Hana, “Earlier, when your grandmother and Pakku were here, we were talking about how water benders and air benders see the moon in almost similar ways. Do you think about the moon sometimes, Sokka?”

That caused Sokka to pause. “Not just sometimes, Aang. I think about the moon all the time,” he responded. Sokka’s eyes were now glazed, his body lifting off the couch and heading towards the closest window. “I know about Water Tribe traditions and how we see the moon as a source of power or a symbol of togetherness. But for me, togetherness also means including Yue. It’s been almost three years since she’s gone, but I still feel it today.”

Sokka turned back to the group and gestured at the darkening sky outside. “Sometimes, when I feel sad about Yue, I stare at the moon,” he described, “If the moon is extra bright that night, then I feel like Yue is there, and everything will be fine for me in the future.”

Aang, Katara, and Suki all lowered their heads in silence. They knew Sokka still had trouble moving on from Yue, despite living in a new city and having a new girlfriend. While all three understood Sokka’s situation, to hear Sokka speak this personally about this matter still shocked them. Deciding to break the ice, Katara leaned over and grabbed Sokka’s wrist. “I’m sure if Yue and the moon became one, then she’ll always be watching over us,” she stated, “If the moon does represent cohesiveness, then Yue will definitely want us to treasure our friends.”

Sokka turned back and eked out a weak smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” he replied. Turning his smile back one, he marched his way to the dining room. “Aang, are you and Hana staying for dinner, or do you have to go back to Gyatso’s? If you’re staying, then I’m more than happy to whip up some of my meat dishes for Hana. What do you say?”

With that, Sokka grabbed Hana by the hand and led her into the kitchen. Aang decided to follow, leaving Suki with Katara. “I’m really glad to see Sokka getting along with Hana. Earlier, I was making fun of him for not being able to handle kids,” Katara teased.

Suki chuckled. “Well, he’s being more open-minded, which is always a good thing,” she added, “My family is from Kyoshi Island, which is a pretty isolationist place. I was born shortly after my parents moved here, and they always taught me to keep an open mind. Since my dad is no longer with us, I do it to keep his memory alive. I won’t be forgetting what he taught me about open-mindedness, and I don’t think anyone of us, including Sokka, should forget it either.”

* * *

“Well, look who’s visiting the store? And who are they bringing as a guest?” Haru cooed, stepping out from the counter and approaching the new visitors. It was the next day, and again Aang and Katara brought Hana to visit their friends after school. This time, they decided to go to Haru’s family store, where the earth bender could be found every afternoon. “I haven’t seen you in a while, Hana. You’ve grown quite a bit!” Haru exclaimed.

“She sure has, hasn’t she?” Katara responded, stopping the stroller and pulling Hana out from the seat. She lifted Hana up so she could be at eye level with Haru. “Say hi to Haru, Hana. You remember Haru, don’t you? Have you and your parents ever bought things from his store?”

Hana took a gander around the store before staring back at Haru. The earth bender, now a university sophomore, could not help but smile at Hana’s cute look. “They sure have, although they usually don’t bring Hana with them,” Haru pointed out, “You are still as curious as ever, aren’t you? It was just like the first time when you were at the pool. You were racing around so fast that Aang was having trouble catching you.”

“Oh, believe me, she can still run like crazy,” Aang chimed in, pushing the stroller to the side and joining into the conversation, “I still think she’ll be an air bender, but so far we haven’t found out if she can bend anything yet. With her tri-racial background, it could be one of three.”

“And I bet you’ll teach her your Air Scooter technique if she’s an air bender, right?” Katara stated, nudging Aang’s shoulder, “That will make Hana even harder to chase down!”

“Not unless I put a jetpack to my wheelchair or something,” a voice called from the back. Everyone’s eyes turned to see a young man in a wheelchair roll up to them. “I still remember you, Hana. Do you remember me? I’m Teo,” the young scientist greeted the toddler.

Hana glanced down at Teo, curious at the wheelchair he was on. “Why are you sitting down? Why does your chair look so funny?” she asked inquisitively.

“This is a wheelchair,” Teo explained, running his hands down the metal bars on the sides. At Teo’s urging, Katara placed Hana down onto Teo’s lap, allowing her to sit patiently. “I can’t walk with my legs, so I have to use a wheelchair to get around. But I don’t think it makes me different from you, and it’s not stopping me from becoming an aerospace engineer.”

“You have an unbelievable obsession with flying things, you know that?” Haru ribbed the wheelchair-bound university freshman, “On the other hand, I am sticking pretty close to what I’m used to. I’m an earth bender, so I’m majoring with geology with an emphasis on mining.”

Aang and Katara could only shake their heads. They always found it fascinating that Haru and Teo, two people with so many differences, could become best friends. Haru was a year older than Teo, a well-trained earth bender, an all-start basketball player in high school, and emphasized hard work and perseverance. Teo, the younger of the two, was addicted to anything related to flight, part of the school science team, guided by his imagination, and had a spirit to achieve that was similar to Air Nomads. On paper, there was no way these two would have gotten along, but in real life they were near inseparable. “Seeing you two around almost makes me wonder what will happen if air and earth mixed,” Katara commented.

“Isn’t that kind of like what Hana is like? She’s quarter earth courtesy of her father, and quarter air courtesy of her mother,” Teo pointed out, shifting Hana’s squirming body around, “I think Hana would have a lot of exposure to both Air Nomad and United Earth States cultures. Maybe she already knows what it’s like if air and earth mixed.”

“What do you think Hana will like to do, given all the mixed traits she has?” Haru wondered aloud. Turning to Hana, he crouched down and asked, “If you can choose, what would you do? Do you want to build airplanes like Teo or study rocks like me?”

Aang chuckled at the earth bender’s question. “You make it sound like Hana has to start choosing a future job or something,” he observed amongst giggles, “She’s only three years old, so chances are she might not even know what some of that stuff is about. Besides, I’m in the eleventh grade and I still haven’t decided what exactly I want to do yet.”

“Not me, Aang. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor and that’s exactly where my focus is next year,” Katara interrupted, placing an arm around Aang’s shoulder. Katara was in her final year of high school, and next year she would be attending university. “I’ll do my undergrad in health sciences, and then I’ll try to get into med school. There’s no stopping me on that part.”

“And doesn’t that sound a little like a fire bender?” Teo pointed out, now handing Hana off to Haru, “Iroh said fire benders are people of power. They have desire, will, and energy to drive and achieve whatever they want. It sounds like Katara is taking on her opposite there.”

“If you put it that way, then I guess that’s true,” Katara murmured to herself, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. Katara would be the first to admit that she did not really do much soul-searching in her free time. While Katara did encounter personal tragedy before, particularly with the death of her mother, but she felt she had enough personal and life support from family and friends to move past it. Hakoda, Sokka, Aang, and others were there to help her pick up the pieces, and in turn allowed Katara to help others with their tragedies. It was because she helped Aang through his personal struggles when Gyatso was in a coma that allowed her to bond with Aang. But other than that, personal reflection was something Katara did not do much of.

Yet now she thought about it, maybe Katara was influenced by the other elements more than she originally believed. She did have the Fire Nation spirit to achieve, while being able to stand her ground on important issues like those from the United Earth States. And of course, now she was in a relationship with an Air Nomad, it was only fitting that she now had all the elements within her grasp. Given the amount of experiences that changed her outlook, Katara could only wonder what it would be like for Hana to grow with all three elements related to her ethnicity present. “Anyway, what does Hana like better? Rocks, airplanes, or something else?” she asked.

Hana’s eyes tiled around a bit, as if in thought, before answering. “I like to watch Daddy make boats,” she replied with a nod and smile, “I wish Daddy can make a boat for me. If Daddy makes a boat for me, then I want to go sailing with him and Mommy.”

Haru and Teo stared at each other with surprise. Apparently, Hana took her third element and threw that into the mix. “So she acts like an air bender, likes her father’s construction skills, which indicate earth bender, and now she wants to go sailing like a water bender?” Haru counted out, “That is one of the most amazing mixes I’ve ever seen!”

“Yeah, that’s for sure. And if Hana has never lived anywhere outside Republic City, then it’s even more amazing,” Teo added, rubbing his own forehead in thought, “It reminds me of a story my dad told me about hermit crabs. They find empty shells and live in them, and when they outgrow a shell they will find a new one. My dad said even though the hermit crab wasn’t born with a shell, it can find an empty shell to grow into and make it its home. I guess Hana’s like that too, not being born in an Air Temple or a Water Tribe or a town in the United Earth States, but she can make those cultures part of herself, and that’s why we see such a great mix.”

Aang and Katara both nodded. “Growing into a culture that she wasn’t born into,” Aang murmured, his grey eyes staring into a distance. To an extent, this was applicable to them all, as they all lived in Republic City, but still accepted and practiced their respective cultures. It was just that Hana could practice three and mixed them in ways that no one could imagine. “I think that makes perfect sense, for all of us,” the air bender concluded.

* * *

“Okay Hana, time for bed!” Gyatso declared, placing the little girl in her bed and unfolding her blanket. Hana had now spent two full days with Aang and Gyatso, and it had been quite an experience for her. She visited Katara’s home, where she came across Katara’s Gran Gran Kanna and her husband Pakku, not to mention Katara’s brother Sokka and his girlfriend Suki. Then today’s adventure included a visit to a store owned by Haru’s family, which also let Hana see Haru’s best friend Teo, who happened to use a wheelchair. It was an exciting few days for Hana, and even though she didn’t always understand what the people around her were saying, it had been quite an eye-opener for her.

As Gyatso tucked her in, Aang slipped into her room. “Your Mommy will be taking her air bending exam tomorrow,” he reported to Hana, “I think we’ll leave her alone tonight and not call her, but once she passes tomorrow, I’m sure she’ll want to hear you congratulate her.”

Hana tilted her head at Aang, not sure what the second last word meant. “Can I say hi to Mommy before the test?” she inquired, “And if Mommy does well, does she get arrows? What does Mommy look like if she gets arrows on her head?”

Upon hearing Hana’s request, Aang whispered something to Gyatso before shuffling out of Hana’s room. Hana’s eyes tilted between the door and Gyatso, who described the process to Hana. “Your mother will get her tattoos after she passes the exam. When she does, we’ll have a huge party at the Air Temple to celebrate her achievement.”

Hana tilted her head the other way. She kept hearing about the huge party, but no one actually told her what it was about. “Can I come to Mommy’s party?” she asked.

Just then, Aang trotted back into Hana’s room, holding a large photo album in his hands. “I want to show you something,” he suggested. Gyatso stepped away from the bed, letting Aang sit on the foot of the bed while turning the album to Hana. “This is my mother, Iio. She got her tattoos at the Eastern Air Temple. This is what she looked like at her ceremony.”

Hana leaned her head forward, seeing the worn-out photographs in the album. “These photos are about thirty years old, so they might be a bit hard to see,” Aang pointed out. Hana saw someone knelt before a large altar, her head covered by a hood. Standing next to her was another woman looking like she was addressing the crowd. Behind them were many young students, but none of them had tattoos on their heads. “They don’t actually let you take pictures or videos of the tattooing process, but the reveal is okay,” Aang explained.

Aang flipped the page, showing the part when the female air bending master pulled the hood off Iio’s head. “The air bending master would then give a speech about you, kind of like explaining what hard work you did to get to where you are. Once that’s done, that’s when they will lift the hood and show your tattoos to everyone,” Aang added.

Aang flipped the page once more, this time showing a few panoramic shots of the altar. Iio was now front and centre, the blue tattoo clearly visible against her bald head. Hana could see the air bending students whip up some smoke from behind, and in the next photo the smoke was in the shape of a vortex. “The smoke is from incense, which is burning the whole time she was at the altar,” Aang described, “The students use air bending to create the wind that hits the chimes near the roof. It’s really an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Hana leaned her face closer to the pictures. If Aang claimed he knew about the ceremony, was he in there? “Where were you? Did you see your Mommy get her arrows?” Hana queried.

Aang chuckled. “No, my mother got her tattoos before I was born. But I did get to see the same thing when I got my tattoos at the Southern Air Temple.” Aang flipped a few more pages, letting Hana see some newer and clearer photos. Instead of the blurry and poorly-coloured ones of Iio’s ceremony, Hana could now see Aang standing before a male air bending master and a similar group of air bending students. “The air bending master who revealed my tattoos is one of Gyatso’s friends. His name is Pasang, and he trained with Gyatso when they were younger.”

Hana glanced at the photo and her eyes increased to the size of plate. The strange-looking air bending master had only one eyebrow streaking across his forehead, almost blocking the tip of the blue arrow. “Why does he look so weird? And why is he with you?” she asked.

Aang and Gyatso both chuckled as Hana pointed at the unibrow. “I assure you that it’s rare, but perfectly normal,” Gyatso chimed in, “And as for why Aang is presented by Pasang and not me, it’s because I was in the crowd taking these pictures. Even though I’m officially a master at the Southern Air Temple, I count as Aang’s family member. That’s why I was in the crowd and not at the altar, but that only gave me the chance to take the photos.”

Gyatso flipped the page again, this time showing Aang being revealed while the students at the back created the vortex of smoke. “Aang’s ceremony was extra special, because he’s the youngest air bender to get his tattoos,” Gyatso pointed out, “I was so proud of his achievement, and if his parents were there, I’m sure they would be just as proud.”

“Oh, did your parents not go because you didn’t want them to be hurt by sharp things? That’s what Mommy and Daddy said when they left,” Hana answered, her cute eyes betraying the pout on her face, “I wish I could see Mommy’s tattoos.”

Aang and Gyatso looked at each other nervously. They never explained that Aang’s parents did not attend due to their deaths, and with a three-year-old who might not have been exposed to that topic around, they were not sure if that should be divulged. “Well, I’m sure your Daddy will take lots of pictures, and maybe even a video,” Aang exclaimed, rubbing the back of his bald head anxiously, “It’ll be the same as being there, so don’t worry about it. Now let’s all go to bed and we’ll have more fun tomorrow. It’ll only be a few more days before your Mommy comes home with the arrows, and you don’t want to miss that, right?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kelev's daughter is named Hannah in real life, and Asianizing her name will create Hana (Japanese for flower). I tried to include various aspects of Air Nomads in here, including airball, the hermit crab story, Monk Pasang, and the air bending master anointment (courtesy of Jinora's coronation scene). I also included some aspects of real-life cultural events, such as the Winter Solstice and the Mid-Autumn Festival, both of which are real-life Chinese cultural events. I figure that since Water Tribes value winter and Air Nomads value autumn, these two festivals will be ideal to elaborate on in the Avatar world.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern, AU. Dedicated to Kelev, a friend and fellow Avatar writer from FFN. I wrote this fic back in 2015 for Kelev's 5th wedding anniversary. Aang and Gyatso have been asked to babysit a child. When an active, energetic, rambunctious three-year-old named Hana shows up on their doorstep, Aang realizes he may be in the adventure of a lifetime. And with Hana being tri-racial, what new insights will Aang and his friends gain from this experience?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.

“Twinkle Toes and Sugar Queen,” a sarcastic voice called from the door. Aang and Katara peered through the crack and saw an earth bender with almost invisible irises staring back. “I would have never thought you guys would attend my club meeting. Come on in!”

“Thanks, Toph. And we brought someone else with us too, so can you give us a bit more room?” Katara requested. Toph pulled the door open wider, allowing the stroller carrying Hana into the room. It was after school again, and instead of going straight home, Katara stuck around on campus. She and Aang decided to show Hana the activities of one of their other friends, this time the blind earth bender Toph Bei Fong. Aang ran back to his home, plucked Hana out, and brought her to where Toph’s club was meeting. “I know it’s sudden, but thanks for letting us hang out here. At least Hana will enjoy it, we hope,” Katara suggested.

“Eh, it’s not a problem. As long as Twinkle Toes Jr. is willing to learn the importance of metals and metallurgy, she’s more than welcome to join,” Toph responded, slugging Katara on her shoulder. Turning back to her group, Toph called out, “Let’s show our guests here what metal bending is all about, you lily livers!”

Aang and Katara glanced around the room and saw three other individuals present. There was a young girl who looked more like she should be in elementary school, a heavyset teen who jittered and shook like he was about to be attacked, and an emotionless teen dressed in all black. “So this is your metallurgy club? Just the four of you?” Aang wondered.

“Yes, but we’re hoping to expand during the time I’m still at this school. I’m only using a science room because one of the school’s former students pulled some strings and allowed me to bring the club here. If not, I’ll be meeting somewhere else,” Toph declared, her voice defiant as usual. Reaching over to the table in front of her, Toph grabbed a piece of metal and brandished it before her teammates like a sword. “Remember, if you can feel earthen particles inside the metal, that means it’s impure, and we can use our earth bending on it.”

Aang and Katara looked at each other in confusion while each member of the group reached for various metallic pieces before them. The large teen tapped his piece nervously, like it was about to burn him. The dark teen twirled his piece around, showing no interest whatsoever. It was the young girl who showed any enthusiasm, albeit towards her own footwear. “Do you think this metal piece matches well with my shoes?” she asked the group.

“Penga, I don’t think that’s what Toph wants us to do,” the heavyset teen responded, tilting his head nervously in Toph’s direction, “You don’t want her to do that spider ants being stomped by giant feet technique on us again, do you?”

“Oh come on, Ho Tun! It’s not like we’re outside, so she can’t send any boulders at us or anything,” Penga retorted, shooting an annoyed look of her own back at the older boy, “Plus, I want to know if these metals fit my outfit. You know how much I like clothes and shoes with clouds, so how does mixing metal and metallurgy with it work out?”

“That’s why you don’t mix them, because metal and clouds don’t mix,” the teen dressed in black retorted, his face twisting in irritation, “The only metallic thing that goes into the clouds is an airplane, and I’m pretty sure they don’t use impure metals to make them.” Turning back to his piece of metal, he stared at it in spite before slamming it onto the desk. “Why do I even waste time with you people? I hate every second of my time here!”

Just then, a rolling wave of the concrete floor beneath them snapped everyone back to attention. Luckily, only the desks and chairs the three teammates sat in were affected, jolting each one hard and off balance. “Penga, Ho Tun, Dark One, can we pay attention for a second here? This is not the impression to make on our guests!” Toph snapped.

Aang cleared his throat. “Uh, Toph, maybe you can start by introducing us to everyone and what your group is about? It’s kind of awkward for us to stand here not knowing what’s going on,” he commented, “And don’t forget you have a toddler in a stroller here, so you should probably be more careful with that earth bending wave of yours.”

“Oh, Hana’s fine, Aang. You think a great earth bender like me can’t control an earthen wave?” Toph responded with a snort, waving a nonchalant hand at the air bender. Turning back to her team, Toph made her introduction. “Lily livers, those are Aang, Katara, and Hana. Aang and Katara are two of my best friends, while Hana is a kid I met a couple of years back. None of them are earth benders, so all this metal stuff is completely new to them.”

“Well, not really,” Katara clarified, pushing the stroller closer to the front. Aang followed suit, and soon the two teens and one toddler were now standing beside Toph. “We’re still not sure if Hana is a bender yet. Since she’s a quarter earth, she can still be an earth bender.”

“Well, then Hana better pay attention, because this can be a whole new way of bending that she might learn in the future,” Toph stated. Brandishing her metal piece once more, she continued her lecture to the group. “When metal is mined from the ground, it usually shows up in the form of ore. In this form, the metal is impure, meaning there are earth particles inside and around it. An earth bender with half a brain can figure out that this can lead to bending, so what we’re trying to do is to see how pure or impure a metal must be before we can no longer bend it. If we can develop this skill right, we can go a long way towards the future of bending.”

Penga, Ho Tun, and the Dark One all focused on their metal ores, feeling around and trying to find some earthen particles to bend. “All three of these guys joined after I started my club, but none of them can bend yet. As for me, look what I can do,” Toph bragged. She pulled and pushed her hands around the metal piece she held, twisting it into all sorts of shapes.

Aang and Katara all stared with incredulous looks, while Hana giggled at the flurry of shapes flashing before her. “Aang, how does she do that? That looks like fun!” she exclaimed, her stubby arms reaching out from the stroller, “Can you do that too?”

“Only if you’re an earth bender, Hana,” Toph explained, turning the ore back to its original shape and handing it to the toddler, “It’s a whole new technique where you’re bending something you can’t even see. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Air bending has a similar technique too, but Gyatso made me swear never to use it,” Aang described, his excited tone replaced with a sombre one, “Gyatso told me that some skilled air benders can actually control the air inside our bodies, like our lungs. If we bend out that air, we can make someone suffocate. It’s considered a dark art in air bending, and Air Nomads are forbidden to use it due to our nature of respecting all life.”

“There’s a similar dark art in water bending too. It’s called blood bending, although it’s more like bodily fluid bending because our bodies are two-thirds water,” Katara chimed in with a similar shiver, “It can only be done with a full moon, where water bending is strongest. I heard that it allows the water bender to put a person completely under their control. The government was so concerned about it that they banned it outright, and I’m really glad they did.”

Everyone in the room remained silent, realizing how dangerous bending could be if it was abused. While keeping an open mind towards bending skills was important, each bender knew they had to use the skills appropriately. Given they could teach other benders of these new skills, they now had a responsibility to ensure the powers were not used by the wrong hands.

Just then, a cute voice cut into their concentration. “I can’t make any shapes. Can you make those shapes again, Toph?” Hana requested, waving the metal piece in her hands.

“What do I look like, a circus act?” Toph snapped back, albeit with a joking tone instead. Taking the metal piece from Hana, she wrapped her hands around it and changed its shape again. “Now do you wish to be an earth bender instead of an air bender? I know your mom can teach you if you can air bend, but if you can earth bend instead, you can always turn to me.”

Everyone in the room chuckled. Even the Dark One, with his disgust for everything near him, managed a slight smile. While they still worried about the dark arts of bending, it was eager learners like Hana who kept their fears in check. There was still a genuine sense of innocence and gentleness within young children like her to learn all they could, and as long as the benders stayed true to their art and educated properly, then bending was still in good hands. With a clear mind like Hana’s, who knew what new bending skills could be discovered. “Don’t forget Hana also has Water Tribe blood, so she can also be a water bender,” Katara pointed out, “When that happens, Aang and Toph will have to give way to me, so I can teach her.”

“Oh, so are you competing with me for Hana now, Sugar Queen?” Toph challenged, keeping the stone levitating from her right palm while smacking Katara’s shoulder with her left fist. From her stroller, Hana could only stare at the two master benders incredulously. She had no idea why they went at each other like that, but she felt wonderful to be around them. How great was it to tell her parents that she made so many friends while they were gone?

* * *

“So you got a chance to meet Toph’s metal bending club then. They’re a pretty unique group, aren’t they?” Kori commented from her Skype conversation with Aang. Nightfall meant Aang was now back at home with Gyatso, but tonight gave him an opportunity to talk to Hana’s usual babysitters. While the screen only showed the background of a usual apartment unit, Aang knew Kori was having the time of her life with Sneers on her semester abroad.

“They are, and hearing that someone who graduated our school came back to help host the club is great. His name is Satoru, right?” Aang asked, balancing Hana on his lap while he adjusted the screen on his computer. Toph was kind enough to tell Aang who Satoru was, and hearing how glowingly Toph spoke of him, Aang knew they must have connected well. “After all the arguments Toph had with her parents, I’m glad she’s making more friends.”

“Satoru is actually someone Toph’s parents know well,” Kori pointed out, taking a sip of water from her glass, “Satoru’s uncle Loban is an executive in a mining company, and Lao Bei Fong got into a deal with Loban to venture into the mining industry. Satoru and Loban are from the Fire Nation, but Satoru is really into learning about different cultures. It’s no wonder him and Toph are getting along, and it won’t surprise me if they have a crush on each other!”

That got everyone chuckling, all the while Hana looked around in confusion. What did Kori mean by Satoru and Toph crushing each other? “What does crush mean? Will Toph squish Satoru with a rock or something?” she asked, oblivious to the meaning of their words.

There was only more laughter at Hana’s question. From the Skype screen, Sneers chimed in, “I’ll explain that when I see you next time, but we must be careful or else your parents might get mad at me for saying the wrong things to you.”

Hana pouted at Sneers’ remark. The heavyset teen stepped away from the screen, indicating he wanted to make some tea. Leaving Kori alone with Aang, the air bender asked Kori if she knew anything about metal bending. “Toph said it’s only possible if the metal isn’t pure, so if one makes high quality metal, then doesn’t that mean the metal can’t be bent?” he asked.

Kori nodded. “I don’t know metallurgy well, but based on my understanding, metal ore can be purified by being placed in high heat. Either through smelting or blast furnaces, the metal is almost burnt to the point of melting. That will remove all the earthen particles, which will make the metal purer,” she explained, “That might explain why Toph can manipulate the metal ore, but if you hand her something from manufactured appliances, she can’t do it.”

Aang nodded. Thinking back to chemistry class, he also heard of processes where metals were chemically treated to purify them. It would leave them with very little earthen particles, meaning Toph would be helpless against them. “Maybe that’s why Toph became interested in metallurgy,” he murmured, rubbing his bald head in thought, “She wants to know how pure or impure a metal must be before a metal bender is no longer effective. I guess if it affects the earthen particles, it makes sense.”

“And in this process, both earth and fire are involved, which happen to be my heritage,” Kori added, waving a finger like she was an expert, “So even though I’m not an industrial chemistry major, I am open to learning more about these processes. When I get back, I might just want Toph to teach me metal bending so I can add one more skill to my repertoire.”  
Deciding he learned enough about the process, Aang then inquired about Kori’s exchange program. “You’re a major in international relations, so it’s only natural you spend a semester abroad. Why did you choose Whaletail Island?” he queried.

“Like Hana, I’m a multi-racial baby. I’m an earth bender of earth and fire descent, so I already have knowledge of how governments in the Fire Nation and the United Earth States work,” Kori explained, “It was a toss-up between Water Tribes and Air Nomads, and since I have more water bender friends than air bender friends, I chose an Air Nomad institution for my exchange destination. And right now, I’m having an absolute blast!”

“I heard from being around the locals here that there’s a very famous Air Nomad monk who once meditated here for almost a hundred days. They say he didn’t even bother eating any food the entire time,” Sneers added, now taking a seat next to Kori in front of the camera. He placed down a mug of tea that he left to prepare earlier, and was now eager to rejoin their talk. “I can’t imagine not eating for a day, let alone a hundred. How does that guy do it?”

Aang chuckled. “I’m guessing you’re talking about Monk Tang Xu, right?” he replied. Shifting Hana onto his other knee, Aang leaned closer to the screen and told his story. “I heard about this story when I went to the Southern Air Temple to get my tattoos. Tang Xu is a very famous figure there, and the story is that one summer, Tang Xu decided to go on a spiritual journey. He chose Whaletail Island, where he would meditate and gain nourishment from the spiritual energy near the area. The goal is to reach a state where he can be in touch with all the spiritual energy around him, potentially using that as food rather than consuming real food.”

Aang tilted his eyes towards the ceiling, almost like he reminisced being there himself. “His students kept asking him to eat something, but Tang Xu refused each time. He claimed to be feeling more spiritual every single day, and would not stop until he reached a hundred days. He ultimately succeeded, and Air Nomads today now see him as a hero of sorts.” Turning back to the screen, Aang had a huge smile on his face. “I think the spiritual lesson is that being one with the spirits can build one’s strength and endurance, but the more common everyday lesson is that having the will and resolve of Tang Xu will allow one to accomplish anything.”

Kori and Sneers both nodded in appreciation, seemingly impressed by the astounding feat. Being connected to the Southern Air Temple, Aang always felt Tang Xu’s accomplishment was something an air bender should be proud of, and he longed to teach any future air bender of this historic event. “Did you understand that, Hana?” he glanced at the potential air bender in his lap, “If Tang Xu can go a hundred days without eating just to achieve spirituality, then I think you can work just as hard for it. Don’t let anything stand in your way, okay?”

Hana looked up with another strange expression. “Will Mommy have to not eat for a hundred days to get her tattoos? Mommy said if I don’t eat then I don’t get to grow. If Mommy doesn’t eat like Tang Xu, then can I feed her?” she questioned.

Aang started chuckling, but paused midway. While it would be appropriate for Hana to make that request, given that she did not understand Tang Xu’s tale and that she was fed by her mother whenever she was hungry, Hana’s comment also brought forth an interesting issue. Was it possible for someone to dedicate a hundred days to a fast when one had other obligations? Was Hana’s mother willing to do the task when she had a child to take care of? Tang Xu lived in a time where Air Nomads lived communally, with temples being homes and all air benders taking care of each other’s needs, including spiritual ones. But with Hana, her needs were all addressed by her own parents, one of whom was about to be an air bending master. Would that lead to a different view of air bending philosophy?

“I think she got you there, Aang,” Sneers’ voice sliced into Aang’s concentration. The chubby teen now gestured at his watch. “And speaking of feeding, how’s Hana been eating? I keep pretty close to the meal schedules, but if Hana wants a snack before she goes to bed, I usually let her have something before she brushes her teeth. Since it’s almost bedtime where you are, does Hana want a snack or is it off to brush her teeth?”

* * *

“Why exactly are we visiting a gymnastics centre?” Katara asked, holding the door open so Aang could push Hana’s stroller into the building. Once they got through the front doors, they could see Suki waiting for them. The lone non-bender waved them in, taking them through the front hall and into the gymnastics area. “I know Ty Lee wanted us to come by and Suki arranged it for us, but what’s with the sudden interest in gymnastics?”

Aang pointed at the individual sitting inside the stroller. “This morning when we were in school, Gyatso told Hana some stories about Air Nomads being similar to gymnasts. That got Hana interested in gymnastics, so I called Suki at lunch today to see if she can find Ty Lee.”

“And luckily for you guys, Ty Lee does have gymnastics practice today,” Suki replied, pushing another set of doors open, “Since she’s in the twelfth grade, the university’s gymnastics team is already scouting Ty Lee. That’s why she has access to this place at least once a week. If she does well, we’re looking at a full scholarship in gymnastics for her next year.”

Aang and Katara nodded. While things started off rocky for them and Ty Lee, mainly due to her association with Azula, the group slowly warmed up to her. Part of it was her realization that Azula was wrong, but also because Suki never gave up on her. “I told you before that if I didn’t stop Ty Lee from doing something that could hurt her later on, then I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,” Suki pointed out, “And seeing her now, I say she’s in a pretty good spot.”

The group observed the large room. It was spacious enough to have every type of gymnastics equipment one could think of. Uneven bars, large mats, vaults, and pommel horses were placed throughout the room, allowing the group to see various gymnasts, both male and female, perform their routines. However, their eyes were specifically on one balance beam, where a girl wearing a pink crop top was in her routine. Ty Lee flipped and twisted through the air, all the while managing to land on the beam that was only a few inches wide. She was able to make this routine, which was impossible for most people, look easy. With the way her body sailed through the air, some might even think she was flying.

After a few more flips, Ty Lee leaped off the balance beam and landed on the mat with a flourish. The group could not help but applaud, and even Hana made some squeals of approval. “She’s flying, Aang,” she exclaimed, pointing at Ty Lee while bouncing excitedly in her stroller.

“No, she’s not flying. But with the way she moves, it does look like that, doesn’t it?” Aang responded, pushing the stroller towards Ty Lee. Katara and Suki followed, approaching the gymnast who now wiped her body with a towel. Once she was done, Ty Lee plunked the towel back into her bag and reached for her water bottle. Ty Lee’s eyes tilted over just as she popped the water bottle open, before giving the group the biggest smile in recognition.

“You’re getting better and better by the day, Ty Lee,” Suki commented, patting her friend on the shoulder, “At this rate, the university will be crazy not to give you that scholarship. Your spot on the gymnastics team is pretty much a lock for you.”

“Well, no decision will be made until Winter Solstice, so there’s still a way to go,” Ty Lee replied, taking a sip of water. She wiped her mouth before closing the bottle and placing it back into her bag, “But if I do get the scholarship, then my aura will be pinker than my shirt!”

“And if you do end up making it to the university team, you’ll already have a fan,” Katara stated, gesturing at the stroller, “Hana here was really mesmerized by your routine earlier, weren’t you, Hana?” Katara cooed, reaching into the stroller and waving at the toddler.

Hana only giggled at the action, which got Ty Lee squealing. “She is so cute, you know that?” she exclaimed, crouching down so she could be at eye level with the tri-racial child, “How are you, Hana? I’m Ty Lee, do you still remember me? Do you like gymnastics? Do you want to do gymnastics when you get older? I can teach you if you want.”

Hana giggled again. When Ty Lee was doing all those flips, it almost resembled her mother or Aang when they performed air bending. “Are you an air bender?” she asked, “Why do you look like Mommy and Aang when you were up there?”

Ty Lee raised an eyebrow at Hana before grinning again. “I’m a non-bender, Hana,” she answered, gently grabbing the youngster hand in her own, “I’m also from the Fire Nation, so I can’t bend air at all. But yeah, I guess I do look a little like an air bender when I do my thing.”

“Why can’t Fire Nation people be like air benders?” Hana queried. After all, she always heard her mother give her freedom to choose what she wanted, so why were Fire Nation people not allowed to act like air benders? Couldn’t more Fire Nation people be able to act like Ty Lee?

That got the entire group glancing at each other, not really sure how to respond. There was not a doubt that every element should strive to learn from others, but Hana was in a class all to her own here. Thanks to have three separate elements running through her blood, there were so many things Hana could learn from water, earth, and air. While Ty Lee only had Fire nation blood, she chose to pick up gymnastics because she liked it. But if it wasn’t necessarily the case with other people, then where would that lead them?

Clearing her throat, Suki took the chance to explain. “I don’t think it’s about Fire Nation people not wanting to do gymnastics or learning about air bending, Hana,” she described, “The Fire Nation and fire benders in general just see the world in one certain way. Some like to keep it that way, while others like to use other ways. There isn’t a right or wrong to it, and as long as they don’t hurt anyone with it, who are we to say no to them?”

Hana gave Suki a strange stare before turning a bit to see the other gymnasts. As a three-year-old, her attention span wasn’t the longest, and the group expected that Hana did not do this out of rudeness or impatience. While Hana’s attention was elsewhere, Katara made an inquiry of Ty Lee. “Why did you choose gymnastics as your go-to thing? Is it just a hobby of sorts?”

Ty Lee’s smile faltered a little, but the gymnast still tried to stay positive. “As you know, I am one of seven kids that my parents have. With seven of us around, I just don’t want to be part of a set. I had to find something that I can do better than all my sisters so that I can stand out from them,” she answered. Stepping up to the balance beam, she rubbed her hand along the bar’s length before turning back to the group. “I realized I did gymnastics better than my six sisters, so I just kept going at this until I became an expert. Now I don’t have to worry about people having trouble telling me apart from my sisters, which is more than great for me!”

Suki smiled at that remark. “Ty Lee told me about her six sisters before. She said their talents were in playing the flute, playing the harp, folding origami, dancing, swimming, and insulting people,” she listed off, her fingers lifting up and down at the mention of each sister, “I’ve never met them, although if I have the chance I would love to, except for the sister who insults people. Seriously, why would anyone think that should be their thing?”

The entire group, including Ty Lee, chuckled. “But even with seven sisters from the same Fire Nation family, you have such a good mix,” Aang observed, “I think Hana inadvertently raised a good point, and that’s how we can be the same and be different at the same time.”

“Isn’t there something from Air Nomad culture that went along those lines?” Katara asked her boyfriend, “I recall you telling me something about the four elements being one.”

Aang nodded. “Gyatso and one of his friends named Pathik always talked about this. Pathik isn’t a non-bender with no Air Nomad roots, but he studied a lot of Air Nomad culture and history,” he explained, rubbing the part of his forehead where the blue arrow tattoo ended, “His comment was that the four elements were not separate, but just four parts of the same whole. If we start seeing them as one whole and take the best of each part, then it’ll make our lives more whole and complete. I think it’s totally applicable for our situation, especially Hana.”

The group glanced back at Hana, who was somewhat oblivious to their discussion. Her eyes were set on the various gymnastics routines, as seeing people jumping, flipping, and sailing through the air fascinated the toddler. Even though Hana was unaware of it, her comments were slowly making Aang, Katara, and the rest of their friends rethink about a lot of things. But for now, Hana was completely concentrated on the performers before her. Maybe her mother would let her try out gymnastics one day, letting her be a big gymnastics star just like Ty Lee.

* * *

“Well, I never thought you’d bring Hana to a flower shop,” a bored-looking teen wearing dark clothes and no emotion on her face stated. Being Friday afternoon, Aang and Katara chose to bring Hana to visit yet another one of their friends. However, they came for a special reason, one that Hana thought up of and suggested herself.

“Hana wanted to buy some flowers for her mother when she comes back this weekend from her air bending exam,” Katara pointed out, parking the stroller in front of the counter, “She wanted to give something to her mother as a present for when she passes the exam. Since you haven’t seen Hana yet, we thought we should let her drop by as well.”

The clerk behind the counter was none other than Mai, university freshman and Zuko’s girlfriend. Despite her gloomy demeanor, Mai shocked the entire group when she announced that she obtained a part-time job working for her aunt Mura at a flower shop. Nobody expected the one imputed to have a grey aura to be around colourful flowers, but there was Mai doing floral arrangements. “Is there anything Hana is specifically looking for to give her mom?” Mai asked.

Aang and Katara glanced at the toddler sitting inside her stroller, her eyes wide and her mouth stretched into a grin. With all the colourful flowers around, it was no wonder that Hana had her attention diverted somewhere else. “Uh, I think Hana might be a bit too young to know what types of flowers are best,” Aang replied with a sheepish smile.

Mai rolled her eyes. “Do you serious think kids that young know nothing about flowers? Maybe I should let Tom-Tom give Hana some pointers,” she retorted. With that, she went to the doorway to the backroom and called out her younger brother.

Aang and Katara looked on as a young boy trotted out from the backroom. Oddly enough, he had what resembled a flower stem sticking out of his mouth. “Tom-Tom, how many times did I tell you? Flowers aren’t for eating!” Mai scolded, plucking the stem out.

Tom-Tom stared at his sister with an oblivious look. “Then why do they taste so yummy, Mai?” he asked. It would not be for a few more seconds before Tom-Tom turned to see Hana in the stroller, staring at him with a huge smile. That got Tom-Tom both curious and nervous, not sure whether to approach the girl or hide behind Mai’s legs.

Mai, however, caught on to Tom-Tom. “Don’t be shy, this is a friend,” she introduced him to his fellow toddler, gently pushing Tom-Tom towards Hana, “Her name is Hana, and she’s three years old. She’s a year younger than you, so you guys should have fun together.”

Tom-Tom stared at Hana, who stared right back at the boy. To Aang, Katara, and Mai, the exchange was both fascinating and hilarious. What would Tom-Tom, who grew up in a strict Fire Nation-style household, do to interact with Hana, who was a tri-racial toddler who had parents that wanted her to find her own way with her three elements? Moreover, with Tom-Tom being the sole element that Hana was not, what reaction could be drawn from that?

“Hi, I’m Hana,” the tri-racial toddler greeted Tom-Tom, waving her stubby arm at the Fire Nation native, “I want some flowers for my mommy. She’s an air bender!”

Tom-Tom edged up to the stroller shyly, his eyes tilting between Hana and the flowers on the counter. “I’m Tom-Tom, but my mommy and daddy don’t bend. Mai can’t bend either,” he replied, leaning his face closer to Hana, “I can’t bend, can you?”

While Hana and Tom-Tom continued their fascinating conversation, Aang and Katara turned their attention to Mai, who rearranged some flowers behind the counter. “I do admire Hana and her parents,” she analyzed, reaching into the front pocket of her apron and pulling out some shears, “Having three elements to juggle can’t be easy, but they still want to give Hana the freedom to find her own way in balancing those three on her own. If my father was at least half as open-minded, there won’t be any further problems at home.”

Aang and Katara grew silent at Mai’s comment. From what Zuko told them, Mai was not having the best time at home. Mai’s father was a long-time staff at the Sozin Company, currently run by Zuko’s father Ozai. But when unethical behaviours and threats of lawsuits all came up in the last couple of years, the company floundered and many staff were cut or demoted. Mai’s father was one such example, getting a demotion and putting a strain on the family. With things still tense at home, they knew Mai was doing whatever she could to cope.

“I want some flowers for my mommy when she comes home. Do you like flowers, Tom-Tom?” Hana asked. Her voice cut through the uncomfortable silence surrounding the group. They glanced over at Tom-Tom, who seemed to be enjoying the company of his new friend. For someone living in a family going through turmoil, Tom-Tom seemed like he was fine. If he could bond with others around him, like Hana, then maybe Tom-Tom would not suffer any negative consequences of the broken family.

“What do you think will happen if Hana takes after her mother and sees family through the Air Nomad view?” Mai queried, placing down her shears and shuffling some flowers around the container, “Don’t Air Nomads in the past raise children communally or something?”

Aang nodded. “Boys are taken to the Northern and Southern Air Temples to be raised by monks, while girls are taken to the Western and Eastern Air Temples to be raised by nuns,” he explained, like he was regurgitating material from a textbook, “The Air Nomad idea is that the spirit should be free from any earthly connections, so that one can find freedom and peace. So for young Air Nomads, they’re taught not to be overly attached to one thing or another, as that may create a barrier towards achieving freedom and peace within oneself.”

“That’s really different than the way Tom-Tom and I were raised, you know that?” Mai commented, leaning her torso on the counter, “We have a stereotypical Fire Nation family. The way we do things is really structured, and any freedom we have must be towards how to make improvements to our society rather than achieving peace. The only reason why I kept all my emotions in check that well is because Mom thinks Dad’s career is the most important thing. If I speak out of turn or misbehave, then it’ll make Dad lose face or something.”

Both Aang and Katara winced at the comment. “Yeah, I can’t imagine any parents acting like that towards their kids, no offence to your family,” Katara hissed. Glancing back at the two toddlers, she wondered if that would be reflected on Tom-Tom and Hana. “Do you think Tom-Tom will be too structured for Hana, or Hana too wild and spirited for Tom-Tom? They don’t have any element in common, but they still seem to get along well.”

“True, and it’s not like Air Nomads take children away from their families anymore. The closest thing we have nowadays is a boarding school run by each temple,” Aang described, “There has only been one Air Nomad who truly let go of every earthly attachment he has, and that’s Guru Laghima. What happened was that Laghima released all attachments he has to the world, leading him to achieve a level of air bending unseen by anyone anywhere. He was the first ever Air Nomad capable of flying on his own.”

Everyone’s eyes became wider than plates when Aang made that remark. Even Mai, who usually stayed stoic and emotionless, managed a quick look of surprise. “When you mean flying on his own, are you referring to his body just floating in the air?” Mai inquired.

Aang nodded. “Laghima lived about four hundred years ago at the Northern Air Temple. He was a prolific writer, poet, and researcher. He took the view that what was immediately observable was just an illusion, and that our instinct only tells us what we want to believe rather than what’s true,” Aang continued his explanation, his eyebrows slightly creasing as he recalled the details, “The idea is that if we release our instincts and forgo what was observable, and focus mainly on having no connections with the world, then we will truly achieve freedom. Laghima achieved this feat forty years before his death, and lived the rest of his life completely untethered from the earth. It’s pretty amazing, but also pretty scary, if you ask me.”

Katara’s eyes narrowed in worry, wondering why Aang would become sombre when discussing a topic that would otherwise excite him greatly. If Laghima was indeed the first and so far only Air Nomad capable of flight, then shouldn’t that be a noteworthy achievement? She made a mental note to herself to inquire further from her boyfriend sometime this weekend.

Shaking her head, Katara turned back to Mai, who now took out another bunch of flowers. “What type of flowers do you suggest for a celebration like the one Hana’s mother is going through?” she asked, “Hana’s mother is about to become an air bending master, but she also has Water Tribe roots. Do you have any suggestions about what type of mix to get?”

* * *

Saturday morning brought Hana another new adventure. During breakfast, Aang told Hana that one of his friends wanted to meet her. “Mai told Zuko about you getting along with Tom-Tom last night, and Zuko said he has a relative he wants you to meet,” Aang explained as he pushed the stroller down the street, “Maybe you’ll make another new friend!”

Hana’s eyes scanned around the street, noticing the trees lining the sides and the cars parked in driveways. She already had quite an adventure this week, meeting with all sorts of strange and wonderful people. From the girl who did flips on a beam, to the one with strange eyes making those shapes with metals, Hana had so many things she wanted to tell her parents when they got back. Now they had another person in mind? This would be fun, that’s for sure!

“Hey Aang, are you sure you know the route?” Katara asked, tilting the map back and forth and squinting at the road signs, “We don’t usually come around this neighbourhood, but then again, we haven’t really been close with Zuko’s family.”

Aang shook his head. “Remember that when Zuko’s mother died, he moved back in with his dad, and Ozai really didn’t let him see his mother’s side of the family,” Aang recalled, “It was only a couple of years ago, when Zuko got that restraining order against his father, than he started getting more in touch with them. So for him to invite us today, it’s really nice of him.”

They turned through a cul-de-sac before reaching a modest house with a light brown exterior. Leaving the stroller in Katara’s care, Aang trotted up the front steps and rang the doorbell. “Zuko’s here already, so let’s see if it’s him or his relatives that answer,” he stated.

Katara craned her neck to watch the door slowly open, revealing the familiar scarred face of Zuko. “Aang, Katara, Hana,” he greeted them with a nod, “My relatives are really eager to meet Hana. Would you like some help getting that stroller in the house?”

Aang held the door as Zuko took to the steps and gripped the front of the stroller. Katara held the back and, on Zuko’s count, hoisted the stroller up the stairs with Hana still inside. They managed to get the stroller into the front hall, where Aang undid the straps and pulled Hana out. “So who do you want to meet the most, Hana?” Aang asked.

Hana did not respond, instead focusing a laser focus on Zuko’s face. She could not help but notice the scar around Zuko’s left eye, the dark shade on his skin creating an intimidating but unusual look. Hana wasn’t sure if she should be frightened or fascinated. “Why do you have two different colours on your eyes?” she asked timidly.

Aang and Katara sucked in their breaths. While Zuko had shown to be more open in accepting in discussing his past, they were not sure what effect that would have on Hana. How would a three-year-old react to Zuko telling them that his own father lit his face on fire? Would that affect how Hana related to her father when he returned from the Western Air Temple?

Luckily, Zuko found the most tactful way to address Hana’s point. “Do you know why I invited you here, Hana?” he responded, grabbing Hana’s hand and leading her into the living room, “I have some family members that I’m reconnecting with. Until recently, I haven’t seen them in five years, which was before you were born. Would you like to meet them?”

Hana followed Zuko’s lead, her eyes tilting between the hallways and Zuko’s left eye. Because Zuko held her with his right hand, Hana could not see the left side of his face, which only made her more interested. But with the chatter coming from behind the corner, Hana’s own curiosity only grew by the second. How many more surprises would there be?

Then, Hana found the biggest surprise of them all. Sitting on the couch in the living room before her was another family, very similar to her own. The father was a moderately-built man with a goatee and ponytail, while the mother had a strange resemblance to Zuko’s mother Ursa. Aang had not seen Ursa for a long time, while Katara only knew her through photos, but there were similar facial and body features that indicated they were related.

But most importantly, there was a cute little girl sitting right between the parents. Seeing an individual similar to herself, Hana broke free from Zuko’s grip and bounded up to the couch. “Hello, I’m Hana,” she greeted the Fire Nation child, “What’s your name?”

The Fire Nation girl glanced at her parents, who encouraged her to speak to Hana. Sliding off the couch, the girl approached Hana and waved a doll before her. “My name is Kiyi, and so is this doll,” Kiyi stated, showing the doll to Hana, “The doll also has my name because it’s such a good name, don’t you think? Do you like playing with dolls, Hana?”

Hana gently took the doll from Kiyi’s hands, turning it around and looking through it with curiosity. “Kiyi, the doll’s hair looks funny,” she pointed out, brushing her hand over the doll’s head, “Why is it all flying out from the middle like that?”

Kiyi the girl glanced away briefly. “I wanted to make Kiyi’s hair better, but it didn’t turn out that good,” she replied sheepishly, “Can you help me with it, Hana?”

While Hana and Kiyi scurried off with the doll, Aang and Katara were invited into the living room. “You remember my aunt Noriko and her husband Ikem,” Zuko pointed out, waving at the two adults on the couch, “Katara, I think you’ve only seen my mom from old photos, but I think you probably figured out by now that my mom and Aunt Noriko are sisters, fraternal twins actually. She married Uncle Ikem just before my parents divorced, and my cousin Kiyi was born shortly after the divorce. It’s only recently that I started reconnecting with them.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you again,” Katara responded with a slight nod of her head. She still recalled when Zuko first invited her to meet Ikem, Noriko, and Kiyi. Because she and Sokka moved to Republic City after Ursa died, they never had a chance to meet with folks from Ursa’s family. Zuko was really eager to reconnect with them after Ozai forbade him from seeing them, and both Katara and Sokka found Kiyi’s family fantastic to be around. “Aang was asked to take care of Hana while her parents went to the Western Air Temple, and I just came along.”

Zuko trotted back into the living room with two glasses of water. He handed them to Aang and Katara before plopping down on the single-seated sofa on the far end of the living room. “Hana’s a sweet kid. I’m sure she’ll get along well with Kiyi,” he commented.

“I’m glad Zuko gets to spend more time with us too,” Noriko responded, taking a sip from her teacup, “I still can’t believe Ursa’s been gone all these years, and I can’t even see her children. Ikem and I pleaded with Ozai to let us see our nephew and niece, but each time he refused, saying we’re an unnecessary disturbance. It’s awful, really!” she concluded with a sob.

Ikem wrapped an arm around Noriko, patting her shoulder and kissing her cheek. “It’s okay, Noriko. The kids are old enough to decide on their own anyway, and even though Azula didn’t show up, Zuko did,” he clarified. The goateed man turned to his nephew, his eyes filled with happiness and gratitude. “We were so happy you’ve grown up so much, and you’re now doing so well on your own. You’re now a university sophomore this year, and you’re looking to join the student body government. How about that?”

“Well, I major in political science, so I really do want to get involved in organizing and leading groups. What better way to get experience than at the university itself?” Zuko replied. Turning to Aang and Katara, Zuko spoke about the recent updates on his family. “I’m renting my own place, but I still stay with Uncle Iroh every weekend. The Jasmine Dragon is still going as well as ever, and I help out there as well. I try to visit Azula even though her sentence won’t be up for another few years, but she’s still family, and we all know that’s very important.”

Aang and Katara glanced at each other and nodded. They knew Zuko had a hard time with his father, who favoured Azula over him. And with Ozai limiting his contacts with Ursa’s family, Zuko had no one but Iroh to turn to. They knew part of Zuko saw Ikem and Noriko as the perfect family, and Kiyi was Zuko’s true little sister. “That’s why I think Hana would be thrilled to meet Kiyi, because their families are so alike,” Zuko observed.

“Not to mention that Hana is naturally connected to three elements, and Kiyi would represent the fourth element in Hana’s life. We’re looking at a girl with a really complete way to grow,” Katara added, sipping from her glass of water as well. Turning to Aang, she referred to a point he made last time. “Speaking of connections, you mentioned someone named Laghima, who disconnected himself with the world and made himself levitate. You seemed nervous when you told me about him. Did he do something that was frowned upon in Air Nomad philosophy?”

Aang pursed his lips, knowing how sensitive this topic was. Taking a careful drink of his water, Aang allowed the fluid to moisten his throat before he began. “Laghima could fly because he cut off all his connections, but that includes his friends and family,” Aang explained, his grey eyes wavering in worry, “He could never get in touch with his family, he could never fall in love, and even things like friends or pets were off limits. Technically speaking, this was what the Air Nomad philosophy was about, but I don’t know if any air bender was willing to go that far to achieve flight. I know I’m not, and I doubt Gyatso will either.”

Everyone in the room shuffled their bodies nervously. That was a very extreme view of Air Nomad philosophy, a view that most people today would probably find unacceptable. “I know I won’t be able to cut my ties with Uncle Iroh,” Zuko pointed out, “And if you ask either Uncle Ikem or Aunt Noriko to disconnect from each other, you’d get a resounding no.”

“Even if I can disconnect from Ikem, what about Kiyi?” Noriko added, her face filled with anxiety as well, “I still have duties as a mother, so there’s no way I will disconnect with Kiyi just to achieve flight. So I don’t think refusing to disconnect is a bad thing at all.”

“What does Hana’s mother think about all this?” Ikem asked, picking up his teacup from the coffee table before him, “Zuko told me she’s the one getting her tattoos, so I’m sure she studied up on this Laghima fellow before she went for her exam. How does she see Laghima?”

“Oh, it goes without saying that Hana’s mother will refuse to disconnect for the sake of flight. I know Hana’s parents will not abandon Hana for something like that,” Aang responded, his eyes hardening with certainty, “But let’s not forget they have a multi-ethnic family, and Hana is the most multi-ethnic person there with three elements. Hana’s parents made it clear that they want Hana find her own way in life. So maybe she can draw wisdom from her other elements to this matter, but I’m really not sure what her mother’s view is.”

Just then, Kiyi and Hana trotted back into the living room, giggling the entire way. Kiyi returned to her position on the couch between her parents and showed them the fixes she made to her doll’s hair. While her parents admired the handiwork Kiyi did with Hana, the tri-racial child plodded up to Zuko once more. “Zuko, you didn’t answer my question. Why do your eyes look so different?” Hana queried, leaning her face closer to the fire bender’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just say I gave a very liberal sprinkling of the Avatar manga series in here, featuring "The Search" (Kiyi's family), "The Rift" (Toph's metal bending club), "Rebound" (Mai and Tom-Tom in a flower shop), "Sisters" (Ty Lee's siblings), and even a bit of "Smoke and Shadow." There are also Korra references in there, with Monk Tang Xu and Guru Laghima. Guru Laghima is somewhat a must in this story, because Kelev specifically requested the Western Air Temple and Avatar Yang Chen. Notice that while Laghima tells us to let go of all our physical connections to achieve flight, Yang Chen states the exact opposite and claims we can never disconnect from the world, hence we should do whatever we must to protect it (including taking a life). I thought it would be interesting to compare what I consider two extreme views of Air Nomad philosophy and see where the chips fall on those.
> 
> Other than that, it's the same old thing: Hana and her tri-racial nature are changing the world even when she doesn't realize it. A three-year-old is not going to think about Air Nomad philosophy like Aang and Gyatso, which makes Hana's actions all that much more symbolic, given she truly is a clean slate who can mix her three elements together whatever way she wants. If you feels there are ideas for how Hana's elements mix, please let me know by leaving me a review!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Modern, AU. Dedicated to Kelev, a friend and fellow Avatar writer from FFN. I wrote this fic back in 2015 for Kelev's 5th wedding anniversary. Aang and Gyatso have been asked to babysit a child. When an active, energetic, rambunctious three-year-old named Hana shows up on their doorstep, Aang realizes he may be in the adventure of a lifetime. And with Hana being tri-racial, what new insights will Aang and his friends gain from this experience?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko own Avatar.

“Let’s do one more visit before your parents pick you up again, Hana,” Aang suggested, pushing the stroller up to the house in question. It was the afternoon, after Aang and Katara brought Hana home from visiting Zuko. Hana had a great time hanging out with Kiyi and, from earlier, Tom-Tom. Knowing this, Aang and Katara were sure to let Hana’s parents know so they could arrange playdates in the future. As Aang lifted the stroller up the front steps of the home, Katara trotted up to the door and pressed the doorbell.

Within seconds, the front door slowly pulled open, revealing a balding, heavyset man with a trimmed beard. “Hello, Aang and Katara. And of course, greetings to Hana as well, although this is the first time I see you without your parents,” Iroh welcomed the group in his calm, sagely voice, “I have another visitor at the moment, but you can come meet him as well.”

Aang and Katara pushed the stroller in, repeating the same procedure they did when they visited Zuko’s family. Unstrapping Hana from the stroller, they walked her over to the living room, where Iroh sat on the couch speaking with a young man holding a cat. “Goldblaze was very well behaved during your time away,” Iroh reported to the visitor, “You’re very fortunate to have such a great animal companion, Shang. He’s a fantastic pet and friend.”

The young man identified as Shang nodded, gently petting Goldblaze’s fur. Aang and Katara still remembered the cat from a few years back, when Iroh brought the animal over for a visit. “Goldblaze was back from a visit that time, I think,” Katara stated, keeping her eyes at the animal, “Was he ill back then? Is he doing okay now?”

“That was just a regular vet checkup. We do that every year,” Shang responded, his voice crisp and his tone friendly. “I didn’t introduce myself yet. My name is Shang, and Iroh is one of my family friends. Are you Aang and Katara that Iroh keeps talking about?”

Katara shook the young man’s hand, followed by Aang. “Yeah, Iroh’s the uncle of one of our friends,” Aang explained. Pushing Hana forward, he introduced the toddler to the pet owner. “This is Hana, the child we’re babysitting. Hana, that’s Shang and his pet cat Goldblaze.”

Upon seeing the cat on Shang’s lap, Hana became very excited. Wearing a huge smile on her face, she wriggled free from Aang’s grasp and bounded over to the couch. “That’s such a cute kitty,” she exclaimed, leaning her head extra close to Goldblaze.

“Be careful, Hana,” Shang stated, adjusting his body so Hana could have better access to Goldblaze, “My cat is very friendly, but he’s not comfortable with strangers, so he might scratch and bite. Just be very gentle with him, okay?” Shang suggested.

Hana reached out and brushed her hand through Goldblaze’s fur, which got some soft mewing from Goldblaze in return. That got smiles out of both Aang and Katara, who shuffled closer to Iroh’s side of the couch. “Shang is a fantastic young man, and through my time taking care of Goldblaze, I got to know his family very well,” Iroh described, “Shang told me his goal is to be a writer, and he’s already got one draft novel prepared for publication. I told him that when the book finally hits the shelves, I will personally buy a copy of it.”

“I’ll have a lot of people to thank when that book comes out,” Shang replied, glancing up at Aang and Katara, “But one person I want to especially thank is my mom, who really helped me through this by getting publishers and promoters for the book.”

“And speaking of family, my nephew told me you had quite an interesting discussion with him when you and Katara visited him with Hana,” Iroh recalled, gently picking up his teacup from the coffee table before him. He took a small but thoughtful sip before continuing, “He mentioned something about an Air Nomad guru that insisted on disconnecting himself with the world so he can achieve flight? It was quite a bit of food for thought for Ikem’s family.”

Aang paused, the cheerful expression faltering at the mention of Guru Laghima. “I just told Zuko and his family that I don’t know if that’s something I wanted to do,” he murmured, rubbing the part where the blue arrow tattoo ended on his forehead, “Besides, seeing Zuko with his family members, after so many years of Ozai refusing to let him see them, it only made me feel that maybe what Guru Laghima did isn’t worth it. Why would I give up my family, my friends, and even my girlfriend, just so I can levitate?” Aang pointed out.

Aang’s fingers soon became entangled with Katara’s when the water bender reached over and grabbed the air bender’s hands in her own. “But you seemed somewhat troubled by that,” she observed, her blue eyes pooling with worry, “It’s almost like you were agreeing but also disagreeing at the same time. What was going on inside your head with Laghima?”

Aang moistened his lips, trying to find the right words to say. “Part of me thinks Laghima has a point about disconnecting with the world, mainly because that’s how Air Nomads were taught to live. But I also think there’s no way we can truly disconnect, mainly because we have to have those social bonds with people in order to survive,” Aang explained, slightly swaying his bald head from side to side, “I believe neither Gyatso nor I can disconnect from the world like that. So I was wondering how much disconnection is enough in order to be a good Air Nomad all the while keeping those bonds that are keeping me alive.”

Iroh placed down his teacup. “Isn’t that an interesting question to ponder? It’s almost like my nephew throughout his time with my brother,” Iroh recalled, leaning back against the couch, “He wanted to be the good son and please his father, but in doing so he was no longer himself. To me, this type of honour and power is not worth it if it means giving up the ability to be your true self. Happiness and love should always be chosen over power and perfection.”

Aang tilted his head side to side again, seemingly understanding what Iroh said but still somewhat hesitant. “I can see where you’re coming from, and I actually agree,” Aang responded, “Maybe I’m a flawed Air Nomad for thinking that way, but I’m willing to accept those flaws if it means being with those I love. I told Gyatso’s friend Roku about that when Gyatso is still in a coma, and I think I can better come to terms with those flaws today than I did back then.”

“If you think about it, trying to stay too strict to Air Nomad culture may mean not being able to connect with other cultures. That means you can’t understand the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation, and the United Earth States. What would that mean for us?” Katara added, turning her body around and now holding both of Aang’s hands, “And even if we’re not that far into our relationship yet, we saw plenty of Air Nomads who are able to become masters without having to disconnect with others, including those of a different culture. Hana’s mother is an example, and look at how well they’ve raised Hana. Don’t you think that’s worth something?”

Aang and Katara glanced at Hana, who was completely oblivious to what they were saying earlier. Hana was still completely fixated on Shang and Goldblaze, broadcasting a total sense of innocence and purity. Aang and Katara were reminded once again how fortunate Hana was to have three elements inside her, and also having a family free enough to allow her to choose how to apply each element into her life. If all elements could interact with each other positively, there was no end to the possibilities. “Maybe Air Nomad tradition should never be forgotten, but it doesn’t mean we can’t create something new,” Aang commented.

“And I’m more than happy to join you if that happens,” Katara replied. With that, the two teens leaned in for a kiss. With air representing freedom and water representing change, Aang and Katara felt they were put in the best spot to embrace any new things coming their way.

“Why are you kissing like Mommy and Daddy?” a juvenile voice called. Aang and Katara unlocked their lips to see Hana standing before them with a curious look. The toddler already abandoned her attention from Goldblaze and now bore laser eyes into Aang and Katara. “Mommy and Daddy sometimes kiss like that. Are you copying them? And why does Sokka say kissing like that gives him the oogies? What are oogies?” she asked with a tilt of her head.

Aang and Katara glanced at each other, a distinctive shade of crimson lining both their cheeks. From the couch, Iroh emitted some hearty laughter. Leaning over to Shang, he placed an arm around the young man’s shoulder and commented, “Looks like Aang and Katara have some explaining to do, especially in front of Hana!”

Aang and Katara smiled shyly before turning to Hana. “Your parents do that because they love each other, Hana,” Aang explained, kneeling down to the toddler’s height, “Katara and I also love each other, and nothing will tear us apart, no matter what.”

Katara also knelt down to face Hana. “As for Sokka saying this gives him the oogies, you can say the same to him if you ever catch him kissing Suki the exact same way,” the water bender suggested, “If he doesn’t answer, then do you want to see me perform the water bending trick known as ‘Human Icicle’ on him?” Katara suggested with a visible smirk.

* * *

“Hello, welcome back! How did the ceremony go? Did you enjoy it?” Aang asked as he pulled the front door wide open, revealing the tired but satisfied faces of Hana’s parents. Hana’s father led the way, helping his now-bald wife into the house. Indeed, Hana’s mother passed the air bending exam and now sported a set of arrow tattoos identical to Aang and Gyatso. “And of course, congratulations on passing the exam,” Aang exclaimed.

“Thank you, Aang,” Hana’s mother replied, her smile somewhat forced, “I still feel kind of weird throughout my body, especially in the areas where they tattooed me. So even though I feel great about passing and getting the tattoos, you’ll have to excuse me if it doesn’t look that way. I think it’ll take a while before the weirdness goes away.”

“My dear, I am so proud of you,” an elderly voice called. The two air bending masters and the lone non-bender looked up to see Gyatso trotting up to the door. “You truly are an air bending master now, and I’m so happy to welcome you to the Air Nation.”

“Thanks, Gyatso. Just promise me you want hug me too hard. The skin around the tattoos just feels weird, and the nun told me not to touch the tattoos areas too much, in case the skin or the tattoos get ruined,” Hana’s mother responded, easing herself into a hug with Gyatso. Turning to the living room, she asked, “How was Hana? Was she well-behaved?”

“Mommy, Daddy,” Hana squealed, bounding out from the living room and into the front hall. She immediately wrapped her arms around her mother, who winced at the physical contact on the tattooed areas. Pulling herself back, Hana took an incredulous look at her mother’s new appearance. “Mommy, what happened to all your hair?”

Hana’s mother chuckled as she led Hana back to the living room. From behind them, Aang locked the front door while Gyatso conversed with Hana’s father. “Her tattooed areas will feel itchy and uncomfortable for another week, but to avoid the tattoos from being ruined, you have to keep her from scratching or rubbing,” the older air bender explained, “Also avoid having her go into the sun or being in water too much, because that also affects the tattoos.”

“Oh, I didn’t expect you guys here. How’s it going?” Hana’s mother was heard greeting someone in the living room. The group entered and saw three individuals sitting around the area with various papers strewn throughout the coffee table. “Xing Ying, Yee-Li, Jingbo, it’s been a while since I last saw you guys. What are you guys up to today?”

The oldest one, Xing Ying, stood up and shook hands with Hana’s mother. “I guess we Air Acolytes will have to call you master from now on, right?” she commented. In many ways, Xing Ying resembled a female air bending master without the tattoos. Her forehead was shaved, with all her hair flowing onto her back instead. Despite being a non-bender, Xing Ying had always been fascinated with Air Nomad culture, and a few years back joined an Air Acolyte organization and adopted Air Nomad culture, including vegetarianism. Aang, Gyatso, and Hana’s mother all met Xing Ying in one of their meetings, and Xing Ying was a close friend ever since. “Congratulations on achieving air bending mastery. I look forward to you telling us what happened at the Mid-Autumn Festival, or should I say, your wedding anniversary party?”

“It’s so cool that you have your wedding anniversary on the same weekend as the Mid-Autumn Festival!” Yee-Li added. She was the middle one of the group, younger than Xing Ying but older than Jingbo. Unlike Xing Ying, Yee-Li kept most of the hair on her forehead, except for a thin sliver right down the middle. “Master Gyatso asked us to come over because he wanted help with the planning. We want to include your anointment ceremony as part of the anniversary party. Did you guys take a video of the tattoo unveiling at the Western Air Temple?”

“Yes, we did get video of the unveiling at the grand hall,” Hana’s father reported, gesturing to the suitcase near the front door, “I have a DVD and I do want to play it at the party. My wife and I agree that with two big milestones coming at the same weekend, we have to make it as big a deal as possible. If you guys can arrange the technology, then it’ll be great.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Jingbo, the lone male Air Acolyte, announced. He wore thick and round spectacles and, like Aang, had his whole head shaved bald. “Being the most junior Air Acolyte, it’s my job to set everything up for the senior members. So count on me, sir!”

Hana’s parents both laughed, all the while Hana trotted back into joining the three Air Acolytes. “So what was it like at the Western Air Temple?” Xing Ying asked Hana’s mother, “Was it as spiritual as everyone claim it is? Did you learn anything exciting about the culture?”

Hana’s mother nodded. “I learned more about an air bending master from about three hundred years ago named Yang Chen,” she reported, taking a seat on the ground next to the coffee table, “She’s one of my favourite air benders, and I enjoyed learning from her perspective. I think by being where she grew up, it made me appreciate her even more.”

“I think Yang Chen has a very unusual view for an air bending master,” Yee-Li noted, cupping her chin with a free hand, “Just like all Air Nomads, she thinks all life is sacred. She observes vegetarianism and is very spiritually connected. But unlike most air benders who free themselves from worldly possessions, she believes we can never be free from the world, and we should use our compassion for life to defend it at all costs.”

Hana’s mother nodded. “Yang Chen is one of the few, if not the only, Air Nomad to ever openly state that to protect the sacredness of life, we may have to take a life,” she described, “While many have detached themselves from the world to reach spiritual enlightenment, Yang Chen believes it’s impossible due to the bonds we have with others. If we are to fulfill our duty as Air Nomads to protect all life, then maybe those who threaten life should be taken out.”

All three Air Acolytes were too stunned to hear that one of the most respected members of their culture had advocated something so against Air Nomad culture. “If Master Yang Chen is right, and we have to take a life to protect life, what does that mean for all of us?” Jingbo eked out, his jittery hand poking his thick glasses back onto his nose, “Will we have to kill someone just to make sure they don’t kill anyone else?”

Hana’s mother shrugged. “I’m not suggesting the death penalty for every criminal or crime, but I think Yang Chen’s ideas are worth thinking about in both Air Nomad circles and in society overall,” she clarified her position, “If somebody really dangerous is actively using Air Nomad philosophy to harm others, then what does that mean? If we have people saying Air Nomad philosophy means detachment, and then uses that to harm others all because they feel no attachment to those others, then we Air Nomads have to do something to protect those who are harmed, right? I think that fulfils the definition of protecting life’s sacredness too.”

“It almost sounds like Yang Chen’s comments are a direct rebuttal to Laghima’s,” Aang observed, crossing his arms and furrowing his brows in thought, “If our disconnection with the world makes us feel less compassion for others, maybe it’ll lead us to not cherish their lives as much. While I can’t say I agree completely with either Laghima or Yang Chen, I do think there is a path somewhere in the middle that can balance everything out. And if all of us, not just Air Nomads, can find that middle path, then we can all achieve balance within ourselves.”

“Well said, Aang,” Gyatso complimented his ward with a wide smile on his face, “To achieve balance, one must take in all types of different ideas, even if they are very different than what one expects. That’s the most amazing thing about humanity and life, and that’s why people of all backgrounds should cherish life, no matter what they are faced with.”

“If I may, I want to speak as the only person growing up with no Air Nomad culture,” Hana’s father chimed in, crouching slightly to fit his tall body with the seated individuals, “While I never grew up with Air Nomad philosophy, I know for a fact that one will cherish life if one has connections. That’s why neither my wife nor I can ever detach from the world, because we have Hana here. If Hana is around, then no amount of weightlessness or spirituality will get me to detach. She’s my daughter and I love her too much to lose her for anything.”

Everyone chuckled as Hana’s father reached over and ruffled Hana’s hair. “You know, Hana really had fun this week. Katara and I took Hana around the neighbourhood and let her meet most of our friends,” Aang reported, “But Hana ended up teaching all of us how important it is to consider all the different elements, mainly because she has three inside of her. And the most amazing thing is that Hana did that without even realizing it. I think with three elements in her arsenal, who knows what new ideas Hana can develop when she grows up.”

Everyone now looked at Hana, who continued to be oblivious to the conversation around her. In her mind, she was still wondering why her mother had no hair and received those tattoos on her forehead and arms. Would she be able to get anything similar to what her mother had?

* * *

“Aang, are you almost ready to go? We have to leave the house to get to the party in a few minutes,” Gyatso called from the bottom of the stairs. A week had passed since Hana’s parents returned to pick up the toddler, and now it was the big day. Mid-Autumn Festival was upon them, and so was the party celebrating the fifth year wedding anniversary of Hana’s parents. “I’m the master of ceremonies, so you don’t want me to be late, do you?”

“I’m coming, Gyatso. I’m coming,” Aang called, hustling down the stairs while pulling on his dress shirt. Even though Aang usually dressed semi-formally, tonight he was in his best suit. He had on a red dress shirt and yellow tie, with matching black dress pants and suit jacket. “I was on the phone with Katara, and she said her family will meet us at the hall. It seems like Hana’s parents invited almost everyone we know, huh?”

Gyatso nodded, going over his notes once more. “Hana’s family have known us for a few years now, but the past couple of years got them closer to your other friends, such as Katara’s family, Toph’s family, and Zuko’s family. I know Iroh reached out to them a lot, and Hana’s parents do frequent the Jasmine Dragon,” Gyatso pointed out, “With Hana’s mother becoming a new air bending master, I think we are all eager to celebrate that with her.”

Aang nodded. It had been an interesting week with Hana around him, and things were only getting more exciting with this big day. “Do you have your speech ready for Hana’s mom when we play her unveiling ceremony DVD at the party?” he asked. Even though Gyatso was not her true air bending mentor, he still offered to be in the mentor’s role in the celebrations “And I’m guessing that’s also why you’re dressed in traditional robes?”

Gyatso nodded. Unlike Aang, the older air bender was dressed in an orange robe that covered him from neck to ankle. He also had a necklace of beads with a wooden pendant that had the air bending symbol on it. “Being in the mentor’s role means I have to wear this today,” he declared, fingering the pendant, “Although reflecting upon the last week when Hana was in our house, I think we all have to call Hana the mentor from now on.”

Aang chuckled as the two air benders headed out the front door. Making sure it was closed and locked, the twosome headed for Gyatso’s car, with the older air bender taking the driver’s seat while his ward went into the passenger’s seat. “Hearing what you’ve told me about the way you and your friends thought about Hana, I think she inspired you guys,” Gyatso added.

“She did, and in the most unusual ways as well,” Aang responded as Gyatso pulled the vehicle out of their driveway, “The first thing Hana did that inspired us was actually related to Mid-Autumn Festival. I was talking with Katara and her family, and they said water benders base their Winter Solstice on the moon as well. Sokka even took it one step further when he said he looks to the moon whenever he misses his old girlfriend. So when Hana said she wanted to have festival parties every season, it made me realize how similar air and water are.”

“That’s right, Aang,” Gyatso commented with an impressed nod of his head, “Air is the element of freedom, while water is the element of change. You can’t make changes without having the freedom to part from the old, and you can’t have freedom without accepting some change. So in that sense, water and air complement each other in more ways than you think.”

“Well, that’s just two of Hana’s elements. Don’t forget she’s also part earth, and that’s where the next interesting thing happened,” Aang recalled, telling Gyatso about Hana’s time with Haru and Teo, “Everyone says it’s weird to see Haru and Teo, two polar opposites, being the best of friends. But when they asked Hana what her interests were like compared to them, Hana said she wanted to see her father make boats. She just took a water bender’s expertise in sailing and mixed it with an earth bender’s expertise in building.”

“Do you think she’s already aware that there are the crossovers between these elements?” Gyatso tried to confirm, easing the vehicle onto the dimming streets. With the sun edging closer to the horizon, the lighting outside was not very bright. “Maybe she’s just saying that because of what her father does, but since her father is water and earth, it’s natural to see those skills put together. Maybe Hana will realize why and how these two elements work when she’s older.”

“Maybe that example is a bit of a stretch, but Hana did have a fascination with metals being bent. We brought her to Toph’s new metal bending club, and Hana was really amazed at the way Toph changed the shapes of metals in front of her,” Aang described. He could still recall how Hana’s eyes lit up with delight when Toph made the funny shapes. “And when Hana saw Toph do the shapes, it reminded us how there are sub-techniques to each bending type. Some of them we should know about but never use, like blood bending in water bending or controlling the air inside one’s lungs in air bending.”

Gyatso again nodded. “The next generation of benders include Hana, assuming she can bend,” he observed, turning the vehicle away from their neighbourhood and towards the brighter lights of the city, “We have to be responsible to her and make sure she doesn’t go astray.”

“For sure,” Aang agreed, “We then also got invited by Suki to visit Ty Lee when she’s doing gymnastics. She said Ty Lee did gymnastics because she wanted to stand out, but it makes Ty Lee look more Air Nomad than Fire Nation. We also took Hana to Mai’s flower shop, where Hana made a new friend in Tom-Tom. We also talked about how traditional families work between Fire Nation and Air Nomads, and how different Hana’s family is with three elements. And don’t forget the Skype call I had with Kori and Sneers, where Kori is spending her semester abroad at Whaletail Island, famous for Tang Xu’s fast. It got me thinking that even though Air Nomads are supposed to detach themselves from worldly possessions, things get complicated quickly when those Air Nomads have families and children of their own.”

“Also very observant, Aang,” Gyatso complimented the younger air bender, “In the past, Air Nomad children are raised communally to form one big family, but the whole family strives to detach themselves from the world to achieve freedom. However, in modern days, where each parent takes care of their own child, things are seen much differently. While it’s still not as rigid as Fire Nation families, there are now more similarities, as you found out from your friends.”

“But the most amazing one is still with Zuko, when he introduced his mother’s side of the family to Hana,” Aang stated. He still recalled Zuko showing Hana to his aunt Noriko and her husband Ikem, where Hana made another friend in their children, Zuko’s cousin Kiyi. “We were talking about how great it was for Zuko to reconnect with those he couldn’t connect with, but then the topic of Guru Laghima came up. Zuko told me he tried so hard to reconnect with Kiyi’s family that he can’t possibly detach the way Laghima did, and it made me realize how Katara and I would have the same problem. And with how happy Kiyi and Hana are with their families, I can’t see any of them disconnect in order to achieve flight either.”

“But Iroh always made it clear that love and happiness should take priority over power and perfection,” Gyatso commented, pulling into a midtown area where there were more shops and restaurants, “The Air Acolytes also got a lesson when we had Hana’s mother give her opinion. Hana’s mother follows Yang Chen’s philosophy a lot more than Laghima’s, and Yang Chen has a radically different view.”  
“It doesn’t mean either Laghima or Yang Chen is wrong, but it just means Yang Chen’s view is more applicable to Hana’s family,” Aang added, “Hana’s mother has a duty to Hana, so it makes sense that she’ll fight whoever that threatens Hana tooth and nail. I still can’t agree with Yang Chen’s idea of taking a life to save all lives, but I appreciate it more through Hana’s case.”

“And when you stated that you wanted to find the middle, balanced path, that’s when I know Hana reached through to you,” Gyatso concluded, turning to Aang with a huge smile, “So isn’t it amazing to see a three-year-old teach that well? And the strangest part is that she doesn’t even know she taught so many people so many different things!”

Aang and Gyatso both chuckled. For Aang, Hana really hammered home the point that there was no right or wrong answer to anything, and all elements had things to offer. It was the ability to use skills from all four that made a person complete and balanced. Hana was in an amazing position with three elements readily available, and when she befriended Tom-Tom and Kiyi, it gave her access to the fourth element. And with such great parents offering her the freedom to choose, Hana’s growth would only take her to new heights.

Shaking his head a few times, Aang refocused on the task at hand, namely the wedding anniversary party. “So Gyatso, did you have everything in the itinerary all set out now? We’ve been planning this for weeks, so there won’t be any weird surprises, right?” he queried.

Gyatso smiled at Aang once more. “We’ve been planning, yes, but ultimately the night belongs to Hana’s parents,” he replied, “It’s a celebration of their union and her achievement of air bending master. But when their wedding anniversary is on Mid-Autumn Festival this year, then I feel it’s very gracious of them to share this with us. It’s almost like they want all Air Nomads and Acolytes to celebrate this together. That’s why, no matter what, we have to make this the best show it can be, for both the celebratory couple and everyone invited.”

* * *

The party hall was more jam-packed than Aang originally thought, with the young air bender craning his neck to see if he could find Katara. While Gyatso hurried to the stage, Aang had to slip past countless people in order to get to his seat. He just recalled he was near the front, sitting at the same table as the Kuruks, Kanna, and Pakku. Aang was glad he could share this special moment with his girlfriend, but if only he could find her first!

Aang glanced around, the sounds of many people’s voices mixing together into slurs. He could see so many people he recognized, but many more that he didn’t. He figured those he did not recognize were family friends or training partners of Hana’s mother, quite a few of them had similar blue arrows on their heads. Aang wondered where each of them trained, and if any of them also trained at the Southern Air Temple. “Judging from Hana’s mother’s age, her friends are probably at least ten years older than me,” he observed, rubbing his chin in thought.

Aang looked around once more, finally recognizing some faces. Ty Lee was speaking excitedly to Suki, who alternated her attention between the gymnast and Sokka. The Kuruk teen, meanwhile, already acquainted himself with Hana’s father, and the two were engaged in a very animated discussion. Aang could not hear clearly what they were saying, but with the incredible number of times the word meat was brandied about, he could tell they got along just fine.

Aang filed past a few more people and again he saw familiar faces. Haru and Teo were here with their parents, chatting and laughing along merrily. Toph and her metal benders were also present, showing Iroh some of their new skills while the older man gave comments and suggestions. Toph’s parents, on the other hand, were at their assigned table and invited Hakoda over to converse. Aang was happy to see Lao and Poppy interacting with people without their haughtiness, an ongoing and very positive development given their history with Toph.

But the most amazing scene was with Hana, who huddled together with her two new Fire Nation friends, Tom-Tom and Kiyi. While Mai and Zuko were being lovey-dovey at their seats, and Mai’s mother chatted with Ikem and Noriko, Hana was off playing games with her fellow youngsters. Apparently, Zuko told Hana’s parents about Kiyi’s family. Upon hearing how well Hana bonded with Kiyi, Hana’s parents decided to invite them to the party as well.

“Aang, I’m over here,” Katara’s voice called. Aang snapped to attention, turning his head to the direction of the voice. He could see the water bender standing and waving her hand at him. She was seated at the front table, just across from one with the Air Acolytes, Sneers’ uncle, and Kori’s parents. The Air Acolytes were with Hana’s mother, congratulating her and most likely hearing her talk about the Western Air Temple or Yang Chen. “Hey Sweetie,” Katara greeted Aang, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, “We’re starting soon, so let’s get seated.”

“Definitely, and I can’t wait to see them play the anointment DVD for Hana’s mother,” Aang pointed out, gesturing at the projector in the middle of the hall, “You’ve never seen an actual anointment ceremony before, right? If not, then you’ll really enjoy this.”

Katara nodded. “Not only that, I’m also interested in seeing them incorporate Mid-Autumn with their wedding anniversary,” the water bender commented, “To have three big events happening all at once to their family, it must be a great feeling.”

Just then, the lights dimmed, silencing the chatter amongst the crowd. As the guests took their seats, Gyatso marched to the front and got the microphone. “Today, one of the Air Nation’s own just got her tattoos, and from this moment on is considered a master and leader in our group,” he announced, “Please give a big round of applause for the air bending master herself!”

Hana’s mother stood from her seat, acknowledging the crowd’s thunderous applause. From their table, Aang and Katara could see the pride in the eyes of Hana and her father. “They must be so happy,” Katara whispered to Aang, “It’s too bad Sneers and Kori can’t be here to see this. Given how close they are to that family, they’ll be twice as proud.”

Aang nodded. “Now they’ll play the video of the anointment at the Western Air Temple,” Aang explained, recalling what happened when he went through the same thing, “Every new anointment involves a speech welcoming the new air bending master, but since this is also her wedding anniversary, we decided to make this special by replaying the speech here.”

“And let’s hear how our newest air bending master was welcomed into the Air Nation,” Gyatso declared, gesturing at the projector before stepping off the stage. On cue, a technician slipped in the DVD Hana’s father brought and clicked the play button.

The video on the screen now showed an altar with a female air bending master standing front and centre. Just behind her, a figure with her head covered by a hood knelt on the floor. A line of young air bending students stood in line behind them, while incense burned on either side of the stage. “Today, we welcome the newest member of the Air Nation,” the nun stated, giving out the name of Hana’s mother and where she was from, “Though she had an unorthodox route to getting her tattoos, she never gave up, persevering through tough circumstances throughout her training. She is truly a fine example of what all air benders should strive to be like.”

Applause could be heard from both the video and the party hall, and Aang and Katara could see Hana’s father grab his wife’s hand. The Air Nomad nun in the video continued her speech. “Even though she started late and grew up in a lower income family, she was not deterred or discouraged. On top of mastering all thirty-six techniques, she added the duties of a wife and a mother as well, getting married and having a beautiful daughter during her training. She showed both dedication and maturity to her cause, both adapting to change and keeping her mind free to accept all possibilities. Since she is of both Water Tribe and Air Nomad descent, it is a testament to her abilities to put to good use the best of both her elements.”

The Air Nomad nun then gestured to the camera, presumably at her family seated in the crowd. “We have her family members, all of whom must be very proud of her, in attendance,” the nun declared, “Her mother, an air bending master herself, and her father, of Water Tribe descent who supported her the entire way. We also have her husband, who, like our newest Air Nation member, is also biracial. Being of earth and water descent, he complemented her ability to accept change, but also did what he could to keep her grounded. It allowed her to serve out all her duties to her family but still stay focused on the air bending mastery. And even though she could not attend today, their daughter, who is three this year, must also be very proud.”

The nun stepped back, standing right next to Hana’s mother. Aang tapped Katara’s hand and pointed her to the screen, signalling that this was the most exciting and dramatic part. “Now, we anoint the newest master of the Air Nation,” the nun proclaimed. With flourish, she pulled back the hood, revealing the now bald head of Hana’s mother. The bright blue tattoo shone like a beacon, causing the people in the video and in the party hall to erupt into cheers. The camera angle soon zoomed out, catching the students bending the smoke from the incense into a vortex. The smoke reached the ceiling of the chamber, where several chimes were hung. The chimes rang out as the smoke passed by them, signalling that Hana’s mother was officially a master.

The camera had some slight shaking, like it was being transferred from one holder to another. Soon, Hana’s father came into the shot, marching his way to the altar at the urging of the nun. Hana’s father stepped up to the altar, pulling his wife into a tight embrace. In the party hall, Hana’s parents did the same thing. Katara tapped Aang’s hand and pointed at the loving couple, which only prompted them to hold hands as well. With such an emotional moment for Hana’s parents, both at the air temple and here, there was not a single soul untouched.

* * *

The events kept on rolling even after the video of the anointment ceremony was finished. In the anointment DVD’s place was another DVD, this time outlining all the amazing memories of Hana’s parents during their five-year marriage. There were photos of vacations, home life, even air bending practice with Hana’s mother. But through the soft romantic music, Aang and Katara could see various things that caught their attention. “I never knew how many of our friends Hana’s parents actually knew,” Katara commented, gesturing at the screen.

Aang nodded. There were pictures of the family at Haru’s store, with Teo getting his face in as well. There were pictures of the family having lunch at the Jasmine Dragon, with Iroh and Zuko serving their food. There were even pictures of Lao and Poppy Bei Fong meeting Hana’s parents, the former couple meeting the latter when they were asking Hana’s father to help repair a boat they had. Even though Hana was not in every picture, most of their friends had come across Hana’s parents in some way. “I don’t know what I’m more surprised at,” Aang murmured, “The fact that they knew all our friends while we only know them a little bit, or the fact that Toph’s parents allow Toph to go boating with them.”

“Hey, remember that Toph’s parents aren’t blowhards anymore, so cut them some slack,” Sokka scolded them from two seats away, “Besides, Toph’s parents knew Hana through Hana’s father. You can never go wrong with a boat-and-meat-loving non-bender, you know?”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Sokka, I’m not sure if you’re complimenting Hana’s father for his skills, or if you’re just being a narcissist,” she retorted. Turning back to the stage, she could see the tribute roll end with a family photo. “So what’s next on the list?”

“If I remember correctly, this is where the honoured couple will have the first dance of the night,” Hakoda stated, squinting his eyes to catch the words on the itinerary through the dim lighting, “It’s been a while since I had a wedding anniversary party as big as this one. You know that next year will be my twentieth anniversary with your mother, if she was still alive?”

Katara and Sokka both glanced at each other, emotions weighing heavily on them, before quickly nodding. They both still missed their mother very much, and they could only hope that she was here to see them grow. “We’ll do something for you, Dad,” Sokka promised.

Hakoda nodded with a thankful smile. “Let’s pay attention now, because I think they might do something special,” he stated, gesturing at the stage. Katara and Sokka both turned to see the Air Acolytes on the stage, all of whom with musical instruments at the ready.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we would now like to invite the honoured couple to come to the front for the first dance of the night,” Gyatso announced. Hana’s parents got out of their seats and headed to the dancefloor, much to the applause of the crowd. Hana’s father had on a white dress shirt and blue tie with water bending patterns on it, covered by a gold waistcoat with earth bending patterns. Those were then covered by a black suit jacket. It was evident that Hana’s father was embracing his two elements, despite his lack of bending.

But for Hana’s mother, it was something quite different. She already stood out with her usual dark locks now gone, replaced by a bald head with a bright blue tattoo on it. She had on the traditional Air Nomad robes, orange in colour and complemented by a necklace of beads and a wooden pendant. However, her bottom layer, instead of the usual yellow, was blue instead. Both her sleeves and pant legs were light blue in colour, creating an unusual but eye-catching contrast that showcased both her cultures as well. It was an amazing match of traditional and modern, a true reflection of how they mixed and matched their cultures to create something totally new.

“The couple has requested a very special song,” Gyatso explained as a younger air bender stepped onto the stage. Aang could identify the air bender as Malu, a friend of his from school. “In both Water Tribe and Air Nomad culture, the moon has a special meaning. While the interpretations may be different, the idea is the same in that togetherness, cohesiveness, and the importance of family and friends are strongly celebrated by both cultures. With the couple celebrating five years of marriage, and so many family and friends present, and that they are a union of water and air, it is only appropriate to have this song be chosen as their dance song.”

With that, Gyatso handed the microphone off to the younger female air bender. Malu bowed to the crowd while the Air Acolytes prepared their music sheets. The silence in the crowd, along with Hana’s parents getting into dance position, created an exciting yet serene atmosphere. With Jingbo counting down the beats, the Air Acolytes started the song. The crisp sounds of string instruments introduced the lyrics, which Malu sang out with a tranquil tone.

明月幾時有? (When will there be a clear moon?)  
把酒問青天。(Raising my glass of wine, I ask the heavens.)  
不知天上宮闕, (In the heavens on this night,)  
今夕是何年？(I wonder what year it is.)

Hana’s parents slowly swayed to the music, completely absorbed into the beautiful song being played. Aang recalled the lyrics being based on a very old poem written by a poet from the then-Earth Kingdom, and since then all four nationalities used this in some way to celebrate their family and friendship festivals. Looking around his table, Aang could see Katara next to him, and the couple could not help but grin at each other.

Quickly grabbing each other’s hands, they glanced around their group, noticing Hakoda smiling at the couple, most likely imagining this to be him and Kya. Sokka was also staring in, along with Pakku and Kanna. Given the mention of the clear moon, Sokka was most likely in deep thought about Yue, while Pakku and Kanna reminisced about their younger years, before they met each other. What a way it was to bring everyone together under the same moon.

我欲乘風歸去, (I wish I could ride the wind,)  
唯恐瓊樓玉宇, (And return to my home in the heavens,)  
高處不勝寒。(Yet I fear the heavenly mansions are cold and distant.)  
起舞弄清影, (Dancing with my shadow in the moonlight,)  
何似在人間! (It does not feel like the human world!)

Aang and Katara’s eyes now went to the table where some of their friends were sitting. The closest one was of Kori’s parents and Sneers’ uncle, good friends of Hana’s family that had known them for years. Kori’s father had a video camera out, recording the whole thing, while Kori’s mother and Sneers’ uncle smiled at the couple. They figured this was mostly likely for Kori and Sneers, who could not be here to celebrate their friends’ anniversary. Even though they were far away, Aang and Katara knew their hearts were with Hana’s parents.

轉朱閣, (The moon rounds the red mansion,)  
低綺戶, (Stoops to silk-padded doors,)  
照無眠。(Shining on the sleepless one.)  
不應有恨，(Bearing no grudges,)  
何事長向別時圓？(Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?)

Aang and Katara continued to glance around, eyeing one of the farther tables on the left where the families of Haru and Teo sat together. Two best friends of polar opposite interests and natures were enjoying the moment with their families. Haru’s goal was to stay near the ground, while Teo’s goal was to be a high flyer. One found the skies cold and distant while the other wanted to ride the winds. Yet the moon was above them both, shining on them regardless of their differences. Despite how far apart their interests were, they, along with everyone else, could share the beautiful Mid-Autumn full moon together.

Just in front of that table was where the Bei Fong family sat, along with Toph’s metal benders. It was still amazing to see that Toph made headways into developing a new style of bending, even though its use might be limited due to metal purification. Despite being the grounded earth bender, Toph took on an Air Nomad-like approach in thinking outside the box. She ended up developing something new and was now sharing that with the rest of the world. If that did not prove the connections between elements, just like how everyone was connected under the same moon, then Aang wasn’t sure what would.

人有悲歡離合, (People experience sorrow, joy, separation and reunion,)  
月有陰晴圓缺, (The moon waxes and wanes,)  
此事古難全。(This has been happening since time began.)  
但願人長久, (Wishing we last forever,)  
千里共嬋娟。(Even if we may be far apart, let’s share this beauty together.)

The break in the lyrics into a music bridge allowed Aang and Katara to turn to their right, catching Ty Lee sitting with Mai’s mother and brother. Ty Lee managed to carve a niche for herself with gymnastics despite being around six siblings. Mai’s father and mother were on tense terms due to her father’s demotion. But Mai still managed to keep her head up, using her aunt’s flower shop as to wind down from the stress between her parents. Aang and Katara knew how lucky Mai was to have so many people supporting her, particularly her mother and Zuko’s family. And with Tom-Tom befriending Hana, there was another source of support for Mai and everyone around them. Despite everyone having their problems, it was good to know that they still shared so many positive traits, just like how they shared the same moon.

我欲乘風歸去, (I wish I could ride the wind,)  
唯恐瓊樓玉宇, (And return to my home in the heavens,)  
高處不勝寒。(Yet I fear the heavenly mansions are cold and distant.)  
起舞弄清影, (Dancing with my shadow in the moonlight,)  
何似在人間! (It does not feel like the human world!)

Aang and Katara then turned to the table in front of Mai and Ty Lee, featuring Zuko’s family. Iroh could be seen mouthing the lyrics, most likely knowing the song by heart given his vast knowledge into different cultural practices. Ikem and Noriko observed as well, smiles on their faces and hands clasped tightly. They were a young family with a young child, just like Hana’s parents. And appropriately, their young daughter, Kiyi, also met Hana and managed to get along well with her. With the way they were able to rub off of each other, there was no doubt that Kiyi and Hana would have a friendship that might last a lifetime.

轉朱閣, (The moon rounds the red mansion,)  
低綺戶, (Stoops to silk-padded doors,)  
照無眠。(Shining on the sleepless one.)  
不應有恨，(Bearing no grudges,)  
何事長向別時圓？(Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?)

Finally, Aang and Katara glanced at the table with the special guests. It was the most multicultural table of them all, with Hana’s grandparents representing three different elements. Hana was currently in the arms of her maternal grandmother, an air bender just like Hana’s own mother. The toddler rocked along to the music, mimicking her parents on the dance floor. It was the most appropriate and fitting thing that a festival celebrating togetherness under the same moon would also serve as the wedding anniversary of this multiethnic family. If there was one thing Aang and Katara realized, it was how fortunate Hana was to be in that family. She had the freedom to achieve, the ability to accept and create change, but was still grounded by what was before her. And given how the elements were more interconnected than ever before, Hana could be a leader for the future in bringing out the best of each one.

人有悲歡離合, (People experience sorrow, joy, separation and reunion,)  
月有陰晴圓缺, (The moon waxes and wanes,)  
此事古難全。(This has been happening since time began.)  
但願人長久, (Wishing we last forever,)  
千里共嬋娟。(Even if we may be far apart, let’s share this beauty together.)

As the song’s final notes came to an end, Hana’s parents leaned in for a kiss. At their table, Aang and Katara did likewise. A celebration of cultures and a celebration of love both happened tonight, and Aang and Katara were truly thrilled to be a part of it. As the audience erupted into cheers for the honoured couple, Aang and Katara broke apart and gave huge smiles to Hana’s parents. Maybe, somewhere down the line, Hana’s parents were their future, where different elements came together to create something new. But this night belonged to Hana’s family, and nothing could take away the wonderful moment before them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I chose is a classic for Mid-Autumn Festival, called "Wish We Last Forever" by Taiwanese singer Teresa Teng. Almost every country celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival will use this song in some way, shape, or form. The lyrics are indeed based on a Chinese poet named Su Tungpo, and since China is the inspiration for the Earth Kingdom/United Earth States, I decided to make him an Earth Kingdom poet. I also gave a cameo appearance to The Autistic Patriot from FFN, who made a cameo in my previous Avatar story as a cat named Goldblaze. Goldblaze is indeed back, but his human owner Shang is supposed to be based off of The Autistic Patriot , so technically speaking, his human form is the owner of his cat form (if that makes any sense). Like in this story, The Autistic Patriot is writing a book and it is almost ready for publishing, so I do look forward to seeing that in bookstores and libraries very soon.


End file.
